Ill keep it short & sweet!
Just came back from a short week at the cocotal hotel in the dom rep, Uvero Alto!
The hotel was amazing! Clean rooms, beautiful location, large (heated) pool! Right on a beautiful beach! The food excellent & loads of choice! Who ever complains about the food need there heads testing!!! Catalona trip amazing & value for money!!!

The only complaint I have was dont go for a week its not enough for the distance!! Especially when it rains!! Boy does it rain!! So we only got 3 days of sunshine.
The biggest genuine complaint was the ENTRANCE FEE at the airport that I was told was included in the holiday!! EVERYONE has to pay it $10 dollars each entry & $20 exit!!
Other than that Id 100% reommend this hotel!

Arrival and Flight :

AA flight landed a bit late due to weather- torrential downpours and T’Storms. This may have affected the baggage handling as we waited over an hour until our bags came out. Once out, the Apple Guy found us and sent us to the right bus. Waited for another group to show and we left. We were the only ones going to Sirenis while the others went to Dreams.



Check in and Room:

Since we were the only ones checking in, no lines and a drink was in our hands before we even got to the counter. As I mentioned in a post on the forum, we had originally tried to book the Tropical suites side but wound up with a regular room on the Cocotal side- we got that straightened out by upgrading to a Junior Suite at the Cocotal before hand. We get to the desk and we are done in less than 5 minutes. Keys, towel cards, Reservation sheet for restaurants, etc. We were assigned Rm M106... On the Tropical side, overlooking the pool and ocean with a nice breeze.

The room is serviceable, if not all that large. Fridge was stocked with soda, water and Quesqueya Beer, not Presidente. Fine, it was cold…ish. Iron and Ironing board in closet of the Junior Suites.

A/C in the room was anemic at best- especially during the day. It was on, just didn’t seem to work very well. At night the Bedroom had a fan and the combination was fine. Bathroom was a fine size, plenty of room.

The silly 4 headed shower wall thing put water everywhere if you didn’t pay attention- so that’s something they could have skipped. I used the regular hand held spout from the holder. Plenty hot or cold as you wished. Bathroom also stocked with bottled water, shampoos, gels along with a hair dryer.



Grounds :

Well kept and neat except for the occasional snake in the grass over by The Spa. Lots of “Green Shirts” around taking care of the plantings and trees. BUT- they start VERY early. 6:45 am I could watch them spraying with those gas powered bug gassers around the Cocotal side, very near to balconies so I think there were a few folks who didn’t get all the sleep they thought.



Beach and Pools:

Fairly spectacular by any measure, Pool had 4 distinct sections with a shallow ramped ends on either side with the deeper sections in between. The beach is fairly wide with beautiful golden sand, raked every morning, btw. The beach is divided into 3 or 4 sections for swimming, non-motor, and motorized activities. Coral outcrops close to shore make for the interesting dappled color of the water, this also kept fish very near to shore that could be observed while snorkeling and even fed with
some bread from the buffet. Be aware the DR is fairly well known for its sea urchin population and one small outcrop is LOADED with them, so climbing and jumping off is not advised. The sea is very calm even on days when the surf was breaking fairly large on the barrier reef 100-200yds/meters offshore. Walking east along the beach, be aware that some urchins may wash into the tide line and be stranded- don’t pick them up or try and kick them back. Sea Urchins stingers have barbed ends and create pain as if the area is on fire. Since capacity was less than 50%, no issues with palapas around the beach or pool. Empty ones were still available on the beach at 10 or 11 am.



Restaurants and Food:

Overall, I’d give a “fair” assessment to the food at the Buffets. Some was excellent (mostly desserts) and other items were dull and lacked flair. The carve station usually had the best- the Pork and Mare fish were the winners of the week. A veggie and kids section were well received it seemed. None was bad and no intestinal issues all week. Some repetition was observed so a stay longer than 7-10 days would likely be a bit much. We visited 2 A la cartes- the Italian and the Steakhouse.

The Italian was stunning in its décor but the food was no better than the buffet selection. Average at best. The Steakhouse was head and shoulders above the Italian. Appetizers were delicious, the steak was perfectly done, and the service was prompt without being rushed.



Activities, etc…:

Plenty of options, from onsite excursion bookings (CASH ONLY) (Tour rep excursions take credit cards). Animation activities near the pool and beach bar area on the Cocotal side. Shopping area a bit scrawny, with only 2 or 3 shops open on each side. Maybe the new shopping center down the road took the business since it might be cheaper to taxi there than pay the ransom type prices on site. Mary took a relaxation message at the Spa and said it was very well done and came back a bit wobbly, so I guess she enjoyed it.



Checkout and Departure:

No trouble- we took care of any room charges (The Spa is billed to your room, no cash or charge cards taken), just double check any conversion they do. Bus arrived on time and made one stop at Dreams for the crew we dropped off the week before and on to the airport. First 15 minutes and the last 20 minutes are fine, but that middle half hour is a real doozy- especially when you can look out the windows and see the new road right of way being worked on. Lines at the Airport were pretty long, but did move at a reasonable pace and, for the first time, the power stayed on the whole time.



Impressions and Conclusion:

During our stay the Tropical side buffet and Beach restaurant were under renovations and closed, but as stated above, capacity was easily less than 50% and there were no issues with crowding. This is a very nice secluded resort, favored by Europeans and especially Weekenders. And therein lies the problem. Day Trippers and Weekenders (not necessarily locals) were especially rude and obnoxious. Basically taking over the beach hut bar, pool and swim up bar on the Cocotal side and making others feel uncomfortable. Things quieted down by Tuesday, but ramped up again on Friday. This was of little issue to us, since we were at the beach on the Tropical side, but others we spoke to felt like there could have been more control of the situation. The buffet was also a victim with jumping lines and rude behavior. A NOTICEABLE increase in security on Friday night seemed to show that the hotel is aware of this and was taking some action to contain any situation.



Were we generally satisfied with our visit? Yes, it was a good value for the price paid. Would we return? No. There was that certain ‘something’ missing that we have found at other resorts. The staff was friendly, helpful, even helping me with my bad High school Spanish when I mixed up some grammar. The Apple perks were well received (Free safe, Free room-service, and preselecting alacartes after checkin.) as well. The Apple Rep however, was basically invisible. Only on duty one hour a day between 4-5pm so it was tough to coordinate since some of those days they are out on the orientation meetings. The one gentleman I dealt with to book the Outback Safari was pleasant and very helpful deciding on which one to book. The other young lady later in the week was not exactly the picture of hospitality to put it kindly.

The overall atmosphere was missing that certain something to make an even better experience. This was our 4th trip to The Dom. Rep. so we have experience with the format but this one just didn’t have “it”. At least this time around. At best- a 3 out of 5 for this one.

Really, you're in a poor country with the nicest people trying to do their best to make you feel welcome and please you. Yes the shower design wasn't the best, but why does it matter, you're not the one cleaning up the mess anyway. The maids do an amazing job of cleaning up YOUR mess.

FOOD: Wasn't the best, but it's hard to cater to so many people, all of different backgrounds. My only real disapointment was that there was no whole wheat bread. We found the Japanese and Mexican restaurants were very nice.

SERVICE AND STAFF: Excellent!

POOLS: The kiddy pool was huge, plenty of room for people with families.

ENTERTAINMENT TEAM: Amazing!! We loved the team activities by the pool and the nightly entertainment was very well done. Huge talent.

If you're picky and insignificant details bother you, then this isn't the place for you.

Place was good for the money we paid......$725.00 for whole week coming from Toronto Canada.

Didnt expect much and we had ha good time.

Entertainment staff is great and people are friendly.

So many things to do on the resort, there is no need to leave.