I would like to express my big thank you to an assistant manager Carlos Ramirez who made sure that our issues at the beginning were fixed. He is very professional at his position and hotel needs more employees like him. Overall our vacation turned to be very good. Our stay is from Jan 26 to February 2nd.

My husband and I, infant son and my parents stayed at the El Portillo for a wonderful two week vacation (Jan.12 to 26th).
My parents are members of the "privilege club" so this reveiw will be based on our experience with all the ammenities that go along with the privilege club. Just let it be known that we would not have been able to get all that we got if it wasn't for my parents being members. We usually travel "basic". Sun, sand and pool is always enough to keep us happy :).
Our check in was fast which was seperate from the main lobby desk check in. It was a quick process with no line up. A quick "in and out" and then it was off to our rooms.
THE PRIVILEGE CLUB LOUNGE:
This allowed seperate check in. Refreshment stand through out the day and access to unlimited internet.

ROOM:
We were able to stay in room 1107 which was a villa with an ocean view on one side and pool view on the other. Probably the best view we have had with the many places that we have stayed (thanks Mom and Dad!) . We were welcomed with a full mini bar stocked daily, king size bed and a crib for our son. With the junior suites a PS3 is included in the rooms. Had we have known that, we would have brought movies to play in case of a rainy day. There is a flat screen TV with quite a few channels but only 3 in english. Another reason you may want to bring dvd movies. We also were able to enjoy the "turn down service" which included a restock of fresh towels and mints or chocolates on the pillows.
There were only two negative issues with the room. One.... the pillows!!! are lumpy!!! If you have room in your suitcase, you may want to bring your own or sign up for a neck massage. Two..... Mosquitoes are rampant. Unsure if it is just the time of year or if this is a issue year round? I would suggest bringing some kind of deterrent of your choice. Its not like they can pick you up and carry you away, but with our son we were worried of bites (which he got while he slept). We also heard others speaking of this being a concern. They do Fog which we saw but they have some type of swamp next to the resort and we were sure they were coming from the standing water located there.
Our maid was very efficient and did a wonderful job. I'm sorry that I was unable to get her name. We had asked for 3 bottles of water each day so that we were able to make bottles for our son and extra creamers and she always accomodated us. Our room was very clean. We also noticed not just with our maid, but with others that they are very particular to detail and even cleaned the balcony railing and doorknobs.
We brought a small electric kettle with us and used the bottled water to boil water for our son's bottles. Just a travel tip for anyone traveling with an infant.
FOOD:
The main buffet is not huge but has a lot to offer. We didn't go hungry by any means and enjoyed all the different theme nights. Comparing it to other places that we have been, we would say that the food is very good with a nice variety. Staying two weeks we actually would say that we really weren't sick of the food but were sick from eating too much. Gained 5 pounds....NOT KIDDING!!!
We also ate at the beach buffet. There is a nice variety of BBQ type foods (hamburgers, hotdogs, french fries, chicken).
We didn't however eat at any of the A la carte restaurants. Personal choice, we prefer the buffet and with our infant son it was easier to eat at the buffet since bedtime was shortly after dinner.
Our only complaint with the main buffet as well as the beach buffet was that when a item of food ran out, it seemed to sit empty for a extended period of time before it was refilled. Never really saw this at any other resort that we have stayed at in our many years of travelling.
BEACH:
First things first, THE BEACH IS NOT AN ASHTRAY or GARBAGE DUMP!!!! This is no fault of the resort or its staff. They do what they can to pick up after inconsiderate fools who fail to use the many upon many of Butt Recepticles and and Trash containers located literally everywhere on the beach. Would you throw your trash and butts on your front lawn? Think twice about your actions it really is disrespectful as we are guests. We have seen this at far too many resorts.
The water in front of the resort was rough the first few days but then calmed right down and it was very nice. We were able to enjoy it with our son. When the water is calm, it is great for children. My husband was able to snorkel right off the beach, it was very clear and he was able to see many fish, urchins and a giant mutant crab with an attitude, LOL!
You are able to walk in both directions. There are security guards posted at both ends of the resort to take your room number and your name as you leave the property. We assume that this is to check to make sure that you arrive safely back to the resort. They also informed us one day that there was no security on the beach and that we were using the beach at our own risk. Usually there was a policeman patrolling on a quad up and down the beach. We saw many other people walking the beach and never felt threatened or uncomfortable.
There were many palapas and loungers. No problems with finding shade or fighting for loungers.
POOL:
Towel game is in full effect at the pool, even the tool bags who like to reserve loungers at the pool but spend all day at the beach only to return to the pool at 4pm. We witnessed this first hand and really couldn't believe the nerve some people have.
The pool is situated as such that half the pool area is pretty much full sun and the other half is full shade through out the day. No swim up bar, not an issue for us, but it is close by. The pool is clean, water is crystal clear (not chemical smelling), and lots of loungers.
There is a quiet pool and it is exactly that. If you are looking for somewhere to read a book with a library like atmosphere, then this is the spot. We stopped by on our very last day to take pics and may have been talking just a little too loud and got the "hairy eyeball" from a lovely lady trying to read her magazine. OOPS!!!
GROUNDS:
Beautifully maintained gardens everywhere. The guys in the green uniforms are everywhere trimming, clipping and cutting. Some are even singing while they do it. Don't be afraid to say "Hola". I could not do to my yard what these guys do to the grounds here with a simple machete. Quite amazing really.
STAFF:
From the reception at the privilege, wait staff(special mention to Ana and Natalie), bartenders, maids and any other service person I may forget to mention. They all do an outstanding job and always greet you with a smile and a "Hola".
ANIMATION TEAM:
Special mention to: Ariel, Rosa, Nicauvis, Sandra, Chorli(sp?), Carlitos, Daniel and Daviel. These guys and gals work very long days to keep everyone involved. It was a treat to meet them all. We really appreciated the fuss they made over our son and would go out of their way to come and see him. At one point our son was on the beach blanket playing and Ariel came around to play with him. It was a nice gesture.
TRAVELLING WITH A BABY:
Our son got a lot of attention from everyone at the resort. He came home "spoiled" and expecting the same amount of attention. All the workers made a point of coming to see him. You can really tell that they all love children very much.
Our only concern with our travel was with our hired shuttle to and from the resort. We emailed them directly to ask if they had a baby car seat so that we wouldn't have to bring our own. I know it is the D.R. and child safety is not priority one (witnessed baby on motorcycle; NO JOKE) but I was told one would be supplied and it wasn't. We were not happy about this. We travelled the long way through the mountain back to the airport which was very scary especially with an infant sitting on my lap. My husband had to use the universal language to the driver to tell him to slow down; twice!
This is in no way any reflection on our review of the resort but just info for any parents thay may be travelling with a baby.

OVERALL:
Would we return? Absolutely. We definately would recommend this resort.

Could not imagine a better place to spend a week of vacation. The resort itself is beautiful, and we were treated wonderfully from the first day to the last. The beach is breathtaking, lots of chairs and tikis. Incredible snorkeling right off the shore. Food was fantastic. Lots of choices, including many kid friendly items.
We had a junior suite in building twelve, which initially seemed like a long way from the beach, but was a actually just a short walk. A huge bonus was the private pool with bar, and it was probably a little quieter than some of the other villas.
A special Thank You to all of the Animation Team. They really made an effort to make the activities and shows fun and enjoyable. It was such a pleasure to get to know them over the week, they played a big part in making our stay as wonderful as it truly was. Thank You Rosa, Nicauris, Sandra, Daniel, Ariel, Charlie and Carlitos! You're awesome!

Our vacation was okay. The resort seemed very unorganized when we were there. Our room also had no water pressure or hot water and our bed was very lumpy. When we asked if we could fix it they said they had which was not the case. It was hard to find a table to sit at dinner, it seemed like there were more guests than tables available. It was also hard to relax on the beach when people are asking you buy stuff which seemed like every five minutes.