I am truthful to say I was a bit hesitant to visit Tortuga Bay, Punta Cana for low level of service. I guess I have been spoilt over the years by visiting top properties and locations in the world hence I have a very high level of expectations.
However my wife twisted my arm so we booked Tortuga Bay for a 10 day visit with our two (teenage) children in July 2012.
I cant be thankful enough that my wife kept her foot down as we had a GREAT time.
Property was EXCELLENT, food was great (especially the Dominican food night at the Bamboo restaurant which is similar to African food we are used to) and service by all staff was excellent, prompt and non intrusive.
Tortuga Bay is very private and therefore quiet which was just perfect for us to spent quality time with our children and swim, play frisbee on the lawn, ride bikes, drive the golfcart etc.
Visit to the natural springs are a must (terrific cool and refreshing water) and we visited almost every day for a quick dip. We also took the Segway tour, jungle gold cart drive (all within 5 mins drive from the hotel) and a zipline tour (about 1 hour drive from hotel). All great and well organized. Although during our stay, Tortuga Bay's beach had a substantial algae "invasion", staff were on it around the clock to clean as much as possible away. It was no real issue for us as this is nature. Playa Blanca on the property is only a 10 mins buggy drive away which has beautiful white sand beach with shallow see through water and no algae.
Again, we had a great time and would definitely return.
No reason for me to write about very small issues encountered during our stay which are simply no match for the overwhelming return of a very high level of service and a great holiday experience throughout !

We have just returned home from our second trip to tortuga. I didn't think the service and property could have been any better than the first time, but I was sooo wrong. The welcome at the foot of the plane was once again perfect. The villa is in a perfect location, on the beach, but close to bamboo, where breakfast is served with a choice from the large buffet and eggs and smoothys made to your requirements.

Ismail from bamboo requires additional recognitian for his dedication to customer service. By the 3rd day we didn't need to request breakfast tea with cold milk and banana smoothys. They just appeared thanks to ismail.

Louis and Daniel do a very good job of heading up the team in bamboo, always ready with a smile and suggestion of delights to eat.

Yalola (marina restaurant) was excellent as always, the only negative being the lack of light to see the menu. But we were ready for that with our iPhones for light. The team do a very good job of welcoming us by name ( they had been advised by the villa mangers we were coming)

We had many treatments at the spa whilst staying all of which were fantastic. I can recommend the Thai massage for anyone who needs the knots removing from their shoulders and back.

Tortuga is now very close to the capital, thanks to the new highway. The journey to la ramana is 35 mins and santo Domingo will be 1 hour 40 once the whole road is open, that will make dinner in the capital a possible with return the same night.

The villa managers and admin staff also deserve recognition for the hard work, smiling faces, consistent high service. Tortuga is a very slick, but not pretentious resort, they encourage you to be part of the family.

My only negative is that the punta Cana hotel next door should be closed, it reflects badly on the service provided in tortuga. The pool was dirty, francos pizzeria is terrible and the buildings need a lot of work. I am sure once the westin had been built the hotel can be retired.
I must give a final thanks to Fernando from the punta Cana estate team for showing us some beautiful properties during our stay.

I wish I was back at tortuga bay now.
We love tortuga bay so much we are even looking to buy our own house on the complex to be part of the punta Cana family.

From the moment you step off the plane you are greeted by a staff employee. They whisk you away(and they were nice enough to take my husbands daughter and family and friend thru), to a private area to get thru airport. note it is a 10 dollar fee per person to enter country. They take you to a VIP exit with a hotel shuttle waiting. We got in at 12 noon and no problem. They check you in inside your room. We had an oceanfront one bedroom suite. Room great, 2 bathrooms, 2 balconies(one with jacuzzi). Dinner at bamboo fantastic the largest lobster I have ever seen. Staff could not be any better. Pool is quiet and relaxing. Beach was a bit windy so we only went one day and they do make every effort to keep up with the seaweed. Take your golf cart and cruise the property. We don't play golf but it looked like a beautiful course. Take the Segway tour, it is a blast and the kids really enjoyed. They take you to a fresh water lagoon very refreshing. It is about a 15 minute walk so keep that in mind thru the forest. Dinner at Lay ola on property was also wonderful. If you get a chance go to the village and eat at mama Louisas great fish. Overall would def go back to this gem

My family stayed at the Tortuga Bay in Punta Cana in late July of this year. Tortuga Bay is ideal for a quiet couple’s getaway, but not ideal for a family vacation with younger children.

First, there are different levels of accommodations at this resort. We stayed at Tortuga Bay, which is comprised of approximately 16 units and separated from the rest of the resort. We loved the rooms, the beach, the service and the food. Because we were with children, we had two bedroom suite and were blown away when our “room” was a 1,500 square foot room with two separate gorgeous bedrooms and a large comfortable living area in the middle. The suite was ideal for a couple with two children. There was a nice kitchenette, French doors that opened onto the lawn which then led to the beach, and the décor was incredible. The room was so nice that we had dinner in the room twice because the room and setting were so special.

Though you would not need a room this large for a “couple’s get-away,” I would highly recommend Tortuga Bay for a couple’s get-away.

For the adults and children, the “Kids Club” was not really the type of Kids Club that we were looking for. By this I mean that the facility was not geared for anything other than a small number of very young (4 years or less) children. While there were many other activities which older children COULD enjoy, the resort is set up in a way that necessitates that the parents are with the children during the activity. While we don’t want to avoid our children during holidays, we do like to stay at a resort where there is a Kids Club or some supervised activity that can keep the children occupied and happy independently, without the necessity of us being present at all times. Unfortunately, that was not the case at Tortuga Bay. In other words, there were things the kids enjoyed, but you had to be there with them. Perhaps there is a more extensive kids’ club “in season,” but not so during July.

We went fishing from the resort and had a wonderful time. The boat was booked right at the resort and left from the dock at the water sports center. The Captain, mate, boat and fishing were EXCELLENT, albeit expensive.

We also did a segway tour. I’ve always wanted to ride a segway, and it took just one time to get it “out of my system.” Riding a segway is pretty cool, but not without risks. A rather large fellow who chose to ride a segway wearing only a speedo in our group “wiped out” and had some pretty significant cuts and scrapes. It’s worth doing once, but I would not make it the centerpiece of a trip.

There are fresh water lagoons on a nature preserve in the middle of the resort. The larger one is approximately a 15-minute walk into the preserve from the resort, and it was a wonderful experience. Our only regret is that we did not take snorkeling gear with us when we went to this lagoon. I would describe a visit to the lagoon as a “must do.”

I took the kids (ages 6 and 8) to the Macao Surf Camp, which is about a 50-minute drive from the resort. If you’re interested in surfing and are a beginner, I highly recommend the trip to the Macao Surf Camp.

I was not golfing on the trip, but the golf facilities looked incredible. If you’re a golfer and/or looking for a couple’s get-away, Tortuga Bay is just what the doctor ordered.

We were VERY impressed with the food. The breakfast buffet was extremely good, and the fresh seafood dishes were OUTSTANDING throughout the day and all restaurants at the resort.

Here are the only “negatives” that I observed:

- “Kids Club” limitations as noted above.
- Service in the restaurants can be SLOW, which is okay since you’re in the islands.
- Water skiing lessons for our children consisted of one person taking our kids out in a boat with me tagging along. I do not water ski, but I was “drafted” into handling the boat while the instructor was in the water with the kids. Frankly, I was not that comfortable operating a boat in unfamiliar waters, so I would describe the “water skiing lessons” as a misnomer. I would suggest that you go water skiing there only if you already know how to ski.
- Not really a “negative,” but you need to be very careful to avoid glitches due to the language barrier. I rather like the fact that not everyone speaks English well, as it adds to the sense of exotic travel, but it can result in getting 3 omelets instead of one. :)