We just arrived home from a 22 day, TRULY memorable trip to the NOW ONYX in Punta Cana and would like to share our experience with others who are considering travel during these challenging Covid-19 times. First off, we had previously visited for a wedding two years ago, and had formed an amazing relationship with Omar ‘Zorilla’, an exceptional man who had been a concierge previously and is now management. He made us feel extremely welcome prior to our arrival, answering questions from afar about the cleaning measures and overall safety of the resort and going out of his way to make sure we would be more than comfortable during our stay. We hold him in the highest esteem. We made a decision to extend our stay due to the suddenness of the mandatory testing that the Canadian government imposed, as we would’ve been travelling home among the first flights to be tested. Instead of choosing another resort we decided to stay on at the NOW, mostly due to the high level of service that we had experienced thus far. We were also incredibly impressed with every staff member that we had close contact with; for a country that has truly suffered the financial effects of being without work for a very long period of time, they are endlessly positive and hard-working, going to great lengths to cater to our every whim. I must say that the service overall was the best we’ve experienced in many years. In particular, the Preferred Pool staff - Nelis, Carlos, Juan and Javier were so fun-loving that they actually became our personal friends by the end of our stay. I shed a few tears when it was time to leave. They smiled behind their masks and provided humour all day long. Although we had the choice of eating at the Breathless as well, we found ourselves gravitating to the restaurants at the NOW, despite the repetition – the Italian restaurant was our favorite, again because of the attentiveness of the staff there. We were personally greeted by the lovely hostesses Aneiry and Claire and treated like royalty by the exceptional wait staff, Duscany, Emmanuel, Paola, Victor, Kany, Jairo, Jose Anthony, Franklin, Mateo, and Esteban. This team works both the breakfast shifts as well as at lunch and dinnertime, and we were amazed at the long hours that they work while remaining good-humoured and thoroughly engaged until 11 pm every night. If we have omitted a name please forgive us as we appreciated everyone that served us during our stay. The restaurants were beautiful and the food was very good. In particular we have to single out our good friend Juan – he actually treats the restaurants as if they were his own personal businesses, assessing everything and everyone around him and going to almost superhuman lengths to ensure quality and care. He so obviously loves the people and his job. The staff seems to be exceptionally well-treated by the management, judging from their obvious joy at working there and their commitment. We had the pleasure of meeting the assistant general manager Jamie Torres, and remarked upon his attentiveness to the guests. We witnessed him checking over every section of the hotel, showing up at the pools, beach, and restaurants to ensure everything was running smoothly. We noticed how the management leads by example, notably Jamie and Zorilla. Our ‘butler’ or hotel concierge Felix was a true joy and a real source of support for us. The moment we asked for anything such as additional pillows it was delivered almost instantly. He seemed to be everywhere at once, taking care of restaurant reservations and showing up to make sure we were seated at a table far away from others as he knew this was our preference during Covid. He has endless connections to people and when one of our mandatory test results had not yet appeared the morning of our departure he dispatched someone directly to the clinic to inquire and to relieve our stress. He is above all else the epitome of professionalism and a problem solver of the highest level. Diego, Jeyson and Albert were our Preferred Pool concierges and we also appreciated the amazing service from them. Lastly but not least, the Entertainment Team was a true surprise. The dancers were exceptional, in particular Mary and Yssis, and we formed a special bond with the lovely Santa, who served us drinks. Willy Wonka, one of the animators is a very engaging person, cheerfully greeting us from across the room every-time we stepped foot in the main lobby. And a special shout-out to the DJ, who played every single song I wanted to hear!!!! We felt very safe throughout our stay, wore masks whenever we were travelling to and from restaurants, to the pool, in the halls, etc. The staff is very careful, wear masks everywhere and they are all regularly tested for Covid-19. The restaurants took every measure to ensure our safety. Thank you NOW ONYX for an amazing stay! We appreciate all the efforts you are making despite the exceptional circumstances in the world right now. We would not hesitate to recommend you to our friends, and look forward to returning to you in the (hopefully) near future as well! Xox Tanya and Eric …
One of the better places to stay, especially with kids. We stayed for 10 days and felt like part of the family. Kids need to be 9 or (possibly and) over 4'-8" ish to access most of the water slides and 12 to access the fast one. Staff was all very friendly and helpful. Perhaps a bit less English speaking then some, but we are in their country! Extra safe for COVID traveling, they never removed masks and were always cleaning. Recommend seeking our Aris, get him on your side and he will make sure everything goes smooth and easy. Kevin Hart is a great one man entertainment team (good luck Willy Wonka). Manuel is the best of the wait staff. All the bar staff was great, but Jomiset stood out for sure! Only slight negative was restaurant service, but they are figuring out COVID and low occupancy so all good.…
Excellent: David and Miriam (middle of restaurants bar) were the main reason why this resort got an average rating. You made us feel welcomed. Shutouts to other great customer service that made us feel well, bartender David at the water park, both hostess were great, waiters, Emmanuel, Jairo, Joan, and Mr. Tequila (our morning were the best due to this waiter that learned quickly what we wanted to drink, mimosa, coffee and water). The bell-men, drivers and security were great too. We liked the call from the front desk on our last day to ask at what time we wanted our luggage to be picked up from the room for check-out. The water park, rooms, restaurants are great. The hotel layout is a bit confusing...we got lost easily or took way longer to get to where we wanted to go. Physically, the hotel is amazing but the staffing needs work. Unfortunate: As regular visitors to Dom. Rep. we know what to expect when visiting a resort. The lack of warmth and communication was felt in an unusual way. Check-in, was cold, were not asked about our flights, if we would like to upgrade, nothing. Simple questions, i.e. which restaurants would be opening this evening could not be answered or even attempted to obtain an answer. More than half of the staff would not greet you back when passing by throughout the entire hotel. The purpose for this trip was to figure out details for our wedding that is scheduled to be at this resort this October. During check-in I asked if the Wedding office was working as I wrote to confirm an appointment and had not received an answer. We were told it was working and that it was odd that I had not received an answer since I had emailed more than 3 business days prior. To keep it short and simple, this appointment was book two months prior after advising the days of our stay, took less than 25 minutes to scroll up and down the same document we were sent 4 months ago and viewed a family room (we requested to view the room). Family rooms are limited to certain travelers and travel agents according to the planner and she never gave us the answer if we were allowed to book those rooms. Would I return to this hotel? NEVER!…
I just returned from Now onyx Punta Cana and wanted to post my review naming some of the people who made my trip extra memorable. Firstly I’m amazed the resort is delivering such a high caliber of attention to detail and cleanliness at such a challenging time and with such low occupancy. Despite low numbers they did a wonderful job of going above and beyond for guest comfort. Customer service was great, housekeeping exceptional, and cleanliness/precautions in light of Covid highly impressive... moreso than even in US. I was celebrating a few things this trip... the 4 year anniversary of my skincare business, my birthday and most specially honoring my late fathers memory on his birthday. The hotel management Omar and Jamie made me feel like so much more than a number. Gary was also super nice and front desk staff very welcoming and attentive. They made a point to honor my birthday and left memorable little reminders in my room that left a smile on my face. I had a beautiful memory made the night of my birthday with phenomenal service by server Anderson - such a gentleman and gracious man. Restaurants rotated and more options were available next door at Breathless but Now options, quality, and service seemed a bit better overall though not a huge difference. There were many wonderful staff but among those that really left a last impression were David and Miriam at the bar near the restaurants. They were so kind and David is an awesome entertainer! Ask him about his tricks! At Breathless I must mention my favorite were Pikachu who was so lovely and engaging and Frank hilarious and quite the dancer! He belongs on stage. Jhon was a sweet server in the barefoot grill area. Kary, Juan, and Esteban are others that were great. There are so many others I’m forgetting. I truly appreciate the staff’s efforts to make guests comfortable. I might suggest offering the shows a bit earlier in the night. Cleanliness was A+; customer service A+.…
My family of 7 spent New Years eve at Now Onyx. it was a great place to wait for the new year. I understand due to the amount of people at the hotel on these dates not everything goes flawless, but I have to say our stay was close to perfect. However what I will like to talk the most is the water park. WOW WOW WOW, if you like slides, lazy rivers, pools and a great bar this is definitely your hotel. I was amazed at how gorgeous the water park is and how the integrated nature to it. Also lived the fact that the water park has a main pool with bar on it. (big plus). Beach on this area can be a little rough but it is still gorgeous. we definitely had a great time and the employees always had a smile. would definitely go back :)
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