I have recently returned from the Dominican Republic and stayed at the Hacienda Beach resort. I was initially disappointed with the facilities, the room was basic and had a strange odour (musty) Our Air conditioning unit didn't work for the whole two weeks, and we had problems with the hot water for the first two days. There was a delay in refilling the cold water in the tanks in the hall so we had to refill our water bottles at the restaurant.The choice of food was not to my taste and the variety seemed to be lacking. I was disappointed by how many pay bars there were, if you visit the nightclub you have to pay for your drinks there. Family who have been to the Dominican Republic before said that Playa Dorado was a better resort with better rooms and facilities. I will say however that we found all the staff to be friendly and helpful and we had some enjoyable evenings watching the entertainment. The pools were great and we had no problems in general locating a spot b the pool or on the private beach. The Hotel has been acquired by Ramada and as we were there they were beginning a programme of improvements, which were necessary. I have no doubt that in 12 months the resort will be fantastic. I would thoroughly recommend going on the outback safari as you will have the opportunity to visit a school sponsored by the tour company and a real Dominican house to see how they live. We also swam in a local river, visited a pet sanctuary and went boogie boarding. An Excellent day out.As long as you don't pay too much for your holiday I believe that the Hacienda offers value for money and I would class it a 2** currently.

well I will start with the possitive. The resort was absolutely beautiful. Most of the staff were very friendly-when tipped or expecting a tip. Be prepared for poor service or no service at all if you do not tip. Our rooms were not cleaned-meaning sandy floors - we were told if we left a tip our florrs would be washed- and yes indeed after we left the maids a tip the floors were wahsed. I refused to leave tips after that- Especially when we we told that tips are included in our all inclusive deal. No hot water at all and during a minor rain fall there was no power- no water. We were lucky to have a/c. But ceiling fan was a bit frightful- feared we would lose our heads. I would have to say the worst part of the whole time was the time share"harrassment" These people stood right on every corner and literally kidnapped my husband and I taking us we later found out to their office. How they got us there was telling us that we get free tshirts and free rum- guess what no rum and no shirts . When we refused to buy timeshare(being on honey moon and our first trip anywhere we barely saved enough money to get here) we were forced to walk back to our resort in the rain. Not a good thing on ur second day there. Every day after that we were harrassed by the same man asking us to buy there ans tellling us the travel agency was ripping us off and that we should have booked through them -the hotel. My husband finally reversed the treatment and started asking him for his free tshirts and Rum. Never the less we never received anything free!! I can remember in the mornign I would look out my window and plan my exit to the beach- anyway I could avoid him. The food was great at the buffet style resturant. The best part of the whole trip had to be the beach-- it was so beutiful- not white sand like i had expected but beutiful none the less. We were not the only ones who had bad service at this hotel!! I hope this honest review helps u decide on ur next tropical vacation

Just returned form the Hacienda Tropical and have to say it was better than I expected in almost every way. The resort was very well laid out, muti-leveled with a lovely view of the ocean. The people (staff) were friendly and helpful and appreciated any attempt we made to speak Spanish. We found the food to be EXCELLENT. I don't know what happened to some of the disgruntled travellers but we found the variety and quality to be first rate, including the two restaurants (Chinese and Italian). The rooms are simple but well maintained and CLEAN. AFter all, I didn't go there to spend a lot of time in my room. There was filtered water available in every section so that you could refill your water bottles. No health problems from anyone we spoke to. Only the nightly entertainment left something to be desired but that is such a small part of the whole experience. I would gladly recommend it to any of my friends.

Ola - Unbelievable trip...best I've ever had! Where to begin...(do not listen to negative responses from others posted below)...Great Staff!!! $1US tip per day ($7US...gee big money) ensured we had VERY CLEAN room each day, fresh towels, etc. What do you want a clock for? Coffee? All you can drink in the buffet area. TV...you go to the DR to watch TV? (And the guy posted below that he didn't get a remote for the TV, I feel really bad for him).Entertainment team was AWESOME!!!! SOS Amigos....are you alone? Fun activities all day....Tequila Vollyball is great....all staff very friendly!Food.....Fantastic! For a third world country, what do you want??? 12oz strip loin everyday?? Get real. Food was great!!! Fresh fruit, little bit of variety, GREAT DRINKS! Wife loved the bread and desserts! Omelettes in the AM were Fantastic!!!Of course, beach club in the day for burgers etc was available.Resort itself.....CLEAN!!! People cleaning everywhere! Beach was groomed everyday, pool cleaned every morning, went for a walk at 1am once and they were out mopping the walkways!Weather...30+ everyday, no rain, clouds one day for 30 minutes. Truly paradise!!!Day Trips...lots for all to do! The Safari was supposed to be good...we did the Santiago & Jarabacoa trip which was good. Some horseback riding, swimming under a waterfall, tour of cigar factory...long drive though!Remember, the DR is a Third World Country. Beautiful landscape, great friendly people, weather is unbelievable, but they are poor! Be nice to them, you make more in a week than they do in a year!!! (So tip well, what can it hurt)Final result - Definately a 4* hotel! Had the best time and wish I was going back soon....hopefully soon!Adam Wills - Allan : )