This was the second time that I have traveled with my family to the Carabela Resort, and we were not disappointed. Having stayed at the resort before, we knew some of the reviews were correct that this would not be considered a 4.5 star resort by any means, but it is a resort that is well worth the money that you pay (and there are some FANTASTIC deals).

The grounds are pretty and very clean, though the rooms are somewhat tired. We do recommend staying in the 10000 Block and request the third floor. The show from the auditorium can be heard very clearly from this area, but I can assure you that if you spend a full day swimming and participating in the many activities, there will not be much that can keep you awake.

The beach is amazing and though the resort was very full, we always managed to find a spot on the beach close to the water to accomodate the six of us; my in-laws, my husband and I and our two teenage daughters. The Animacion crew (activities) are the friendliest and most congenial people we have ever met and got even us (La Familia) to participate in at least one activity every day.

We have read reviews saying that people were unfriendly and that the housekeeping and service was poor, and we cannot disagree more. Tip your people. These people work long, long days with not much time off, and ANY gratuity is appreciated and you will be awarded gold status service. We tipped our waitress, and she would hold our 6 person table at the breakfast/dinner buffets by putting full cups on the table and she would remove them and wave us over when we arrived. We tipped our housekeeper and always came back to extra towels, towel designs and flowers/petals and an IMMACULATE room.

Talk to the people who serve you and smile!! We never had a problem communicating with anyone.

The food at the buffet was fantastic with many choices for both the picky eater and the more adventurous. We did not really care for the restaurant fare, so we stuck with the buffets for breakfast and dinner, and the beach snack bar for lunch. You will find the best french fries (rivaling the US) there, and my youngest fell in love with the fried fish. She didn't care WHAT kind of fish it was.

For a day trip I cannot recommend the Tropical Storm highly enough. Carlos, the Captain, is engaging and entertaining, and his crew was a blast to party with. Sailing, singing, dancing, drinking, snorkeling, eating and sightseeing in the tropical sun; what more can you ask for......?

Do not do the Glass Bottom Boat tour....enough said.

Bottom line: we all had a great time and would go back in a minute.

This is a place for beach lovers. We were there from April 13 to 20. We chose it because they said there were casinos in Punta Cana, but the one at Carabela didn't open until 9 at night, a little too late for us senior citizens. We found another one down the street that opened at 5, so we could go and play and still be back in time for dinner.

I read all the reviews for the Carabela Resort, and felt a little uneasy about going there. But the price was the big deciding factor, and it was worth what we paid for it. Sure, the pillows were a little lumpy, the mattresses a little hard, but our room was immaculate and the grounds were spectacular. Everything worked in the room but we saw a few little ants around the sink one day, which was taken care of right away.

The 3 pools were all very good, the drinks plentiful and easy to get, and although the food wasn't the best, the buffet was extensive; you could always find something to enjoy, the breads were wonderful, a huge array of fruits, and great ice cream.

Communicating with the staff was sometimes a challenge because we only speak English, but never a real problem. The entertainment was repetitive but sometimes very good. Watching the beach activities we had a lot of respect for the crew, they provided a good time for those who played.

We took an excursion off the resort to Saona Island, a wonderful experience, although not part of the all-inclusive. Again, beach lovers, the place to go.

Where to start.... first the service and people; terrible. The staff in general was rude, the person that worked the little gift store was by far the worst we have ever dealt with. Since the majority of nationality was either english or european, I don't understand why the staff could not even attempt to learn some basic requests. My wife and I had to quickly learn their language just to survive. As for food service; you had to overlook the flies. My wife ate cereal all week for breakfast, and toast for other meals, for dinners, we picked under the top layers for retrieve (hopefully) virgin food. Since this was open-air dinning, we noticed birds, flies, peacocks and greckcos running around. Bed linen was awful, the pillows were lumpy, the bed was not comfortable at all. The room should have been upgraded five years ago!

Grounds were nice, and beaches were beautiful but that was the only good for this trip! DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY! The photo shows a picture of one flie on Rasin Brand.

ERIC

We stayed at this hotel from March 21 - 28, 2008 and let me tell you, I wouldn't recommend this property. It wasn't terrible, but its definately not a 4 star.

We arrived around 10:30pm Friday night, only to discover all restaurants and snack bars were closed. We were starved as we left Toronto at 4:30pm. Front desk told us to try the casino across the street (which is affliated with the hotel), and they would have snacks. The only thing they had were ham and cheese sandwichs, which we had to ask the bartender for. It took 20 minutes for him to give my boyfriend and I one sandwich each. When we asked for another sandwich, he refused. Terrible service.

Reception at the hotel did not give extra room keys for each person in the room unless asked. They wouldn't let us rent a safe that night. We had to come back the next day.

Rooms: the rooms were okay, but the beds were hard, sheets were very thin. Our beds were made each day, but despite tipping practically everyday, we only got a towel design once. The shower did not have complete coverage (only a half shower door) so each day our bathroom floor was wet. We didn't get extra towels and the towels were poor quality - we had towel fuss on out bodies everyday.

Service: I found the service generally poor. Servers rarely smiled or greeted you. Only if generous tips were offered did we see any change in service, but there should have been a general standard of service which we didn't see. However, there was one exception, we had great service from Miguel, Carlos and Capitan at front desk. Miguel was generous enough to go with us into town on his day off.

A la carte restaurants: There were 3 restaurants, mexican, italian and french. We enjoyed the mexican restaurant, but the resort failed to set the proper mood for each restaurant. The back ground music was often Reggaeton or Bachata - conflicting with the theme of the restaurant. Most cake desserts were awful. I found ordering fruits with ice cream the safest route. The wine tasted like vinegar.

Bars: There were a variety of bars, but the skills and knowledge of creating cocktails by the bartenders was poor. We stuck to rum & coke, everything else tasted horrible. They did not use real fruit juices in cocktails like Rum punch or Sex on the Beach, which left a powdery after taste in your mouth.

Entertainment: nightly entertainment was entertaining. However, there was no live music entertainment on stage or in any restaurant. I've travelled to many resorts and found this strange. The disco had a good DJ.

Overall, the resort grounds were beautiful, but I'd give it 3 stars not 4.