Sunny, sandy right on the beach, the location of this hotel was just what I’d booked. First time in the Dominican Republic for us and after quite a journey, so happy to get organised in our room. Clean, bright and simple, the room and bathroom were fit for purpose. The staff don’t rush, but are friendly and easily found if needed. The food was as we had imagined, traditional buffet fayre, great salads and fruit and drinks were too good. The freshly baked breads at breakfast were delicious. We spent some time on the top platform, it looks right over onto the ocean and you have a handy bar and dip pool when it gets too hot. If you like a beach holiday this is, thinking of it, we would travel back there if able. Just looking to book our September break, it’s on the list.
The beds are hard as rock. The pillows are so big you can’t use them and yes, they are hard as a rock. Cleaning staff take your towels and do not replace them cleaning staff take your coffee cups, and do not replace them. Front desk will not answer the phone for service. The Buffay is the same thing night after night the drinks or water down. The room they tried to stick us in smelled like sewer. If we did not complain, we would not have gotten an upgrade. Staff does not speak any English so if you are English speaking, only, do not go to this hotel. The only thing good about this hotel is the beach, but I am sure you can find a different hotel a better quality for the same price will never go back.
If I have to summarize the review in one sentence : stay away from this junkyard! It's by far the worst hotel I have ever been at. And no, we are not very picky about the hotels in general. We are fime with motel stays as well, as long as it's clean and basic amenities are there. But despite that, this was a new low for us. We had to stay here by accident for just one night (thankfully), because of a last minute flight cancellation, and nothing else available. But even those 24 hours were miserable. The resort is extremely clostrophobic. They claim to have 5 pools, but that's basically a joke - they are more like an apartment community pools. And the water - both in the pool and even the taps - smelled like gutter. I couldn't even brush my teeth with it. My son's exact words were - "I would rather get eaten by 7 sharks, than taste this water". The room seemed to be last touched upon sometime in 1960s probably. And the worst of all - the food! Flies everywhere. The fish was so stale that it was smelling rotten. Chicken was all rib pieces with practically no meat. At the breakfast, there were decent selection of breads, but no butter. That was the only thing I was planning to eat after our dinner experience, and with no butter I was basically eating dry bread. The only good part about it was the beach was right next to it. It's reasonably clean (still lots of seaweed, but that's everywhere near Punta Cana). So if you wanted some fresh air, you could just walk 100 feet and get away from this prison! Another thing was drinks were of acceptable quality too. The day we were there everyone except us were locals. I have no issues with that, but it seemed like this was designed for locals in general. (To enable them get access to a good beach and may be get drunk?) And I am not comparing this to the mega resorts in Punta Cana. They cost 2-3 times than this one. But we had stayed at another Whala property in Bayahibe earlier in the trip, for the same price, and that was much much better in terms of views, ambiance, pools, cleanliness, room sizes and overall service. We were literally counting hours and the happiest part of our stay was the checkout! In general, if you want luxury, there are better options around (of course at a premium price). But even if you are on a budget, there are many better options available around. If you want to save $$, go for a non-all-inclusive hotel at even cheaper price and eat out. You will be happier and also save some $$. In short, stay away from this piece of junk!…
Our first time in DR, came along with brother and sister in law. Our room was fine, A/C ( a bit noisy ) big bed all very clean and comfortable. Food was distinctly hotel style and the service was relaxed, which suited us being on holiday, my big no no is being rushed. The beaches are fantastic and we often walked for hours, slowly on the edge of the water, felt like another world. Took us a few days to relax into beach life, but when we did, we could have stayed longer than two weeks. Would come again 100% but for longer.
Dear traveller, Mediocre reception and overall mediocre customer service. Less than mediocre food and soft drinks. Pools looked disgustingly foamy. Mediocre food areas to the nth degree. One night, cold food delivered to most of our group at à-la-carte restaurant (Waiter had food resent to kitchen to have reheated). Disgusting, ocean salty running shower/tap water. 2 miniscule bath soaps, no more toiletries provided (we always pack just in case). The worst Dominican Republic resort experience, EVER. Do yourself a favor, don't even think about reserving this place for...ANYTHING. Sincerely.
Pros: Restaurant & housekeeping staff are very good. Friendly and efficient. The hotel is clean. The rooms were kept immaculate by housekeeping and halls were kept very clean. Our beds were very comfortable. The pillows not so much, but not horrible. Cons: The bathroom fixtures are in poor repair and shower is not easy to use. Water was out twice while we were there, though back within a couple of hours. Our friends had no hot water for the 2 weeks. The safe costs extra, the new trend by all hotels these days to nickle and dime their clients. Other: The food was decent, nothing spectacular, but basic Dominican style. While there are 2 restaurants, they do not run concurrently. There is only one a-la-cart, it is decent. The second is not part of the all-inclusive. The beach canteen does not have a good variety at all times open. They need a second server during busy times. We used the beach bar. The bartenders were friendly and efficient and made good drinks. We only used the late snacks once on our late arrival. Checking in was slow. The country's language is Spanish and as a visitor I am not complaining that most staff did not speak English, I cannot speak Spanish except for Por favor and gratius. However, because the resort is "out there" as an all-inclusive for North Americans, there should be a couple of bilingual people available to tend to problems that can arise with the facility. ie: water or a/c issues. Perhaps a thought would be to use a translation service such as Deepl. Most staff have cell phones. On that note; the internet was quite good. The beach is lovely and there is plenty of shade and sun. The loungers are in desperate need of repair. Likely 1/4 have issues. While we were there, a sewer smell permeated the lounge area. Not strong, but unmistakable. Likely not the fault of the hotel, but not nice. The hotel was listed as a 4 star on the Air Canada all-inclusive offerings. I would say 2.5 to 3 star is more accurate. My experience was not horrible to be sure, but I would not recommend this resort.…
The air conditioning didn't work in our room and couldn't be fixed so we were upgraded to an Ocean view room which was great! The weather was perfect. Those are the only good things I have to say about this resort. The rooftop bar was not included in this "all inclusive" package. The water in the shower and bathroom sink was salty so had to use bottled water to brush your teeth. They don't automatically replenish the bottled water...you always have to request it. Entertainment was lacking. The food was the same everyday and lukewarm at best. The biggest issue was with security. My brother-in-law was robbed a few steps away from the lobby as he was making his way to our section of the resort. Overall, I would not return to this resort and would not recommend it to anyone!!
This was definitely a beach holiday. We stayed late August and of course the weather was wall to wall sunshine hitting over 35 degrees. Rooms were immaculate and very comfortable. Staff very friendly. Meals were different with lots of fresh fish. All in all a perfect place for us. Would definitely recommend this hotel.
Initially we were very disappointed with our room. The shower had no hot water and when you ran it it flooded the bathroom floor. And the toilet did not flush properly in spite of it being plunged! But the front desk staff - Waldron and Franklin were most helpful and efficient in moving us into another room the next day. It was an upgraded room in the building right on the beach with the best views ever. We were so grateful, and this move completely changed our whole vacation for the better. The choice of food was good, and sufficient for us. However, we ate mainly salads and vegetables as the meat and fish offerings were not all that appetizing. Although the location is close to restaurants and shops, being an older couple, we decided it was safer to just stay put. There were plenty of security guards surrounding the resort, all of whom were diligent and friendly. The stretch classes and dancercise on the beach were fun. But the incessant loud music not only blasting from the bars and resort but also the restaurant next door for 12 hrs a day did not do much for a peaceful holiday. Also at any time there were 5-8 dogs in packs barking and running around the beach. They appeared to be friendly but barked a lot. The chickens and roosters hopping around the beach only added to what I can only call, this rather rustic resort. The beach is lovely, and we were grateful the invasive piles of seaweed were being constantly cleared away. The staff at this resort work extremely hard and are anxious to please.…
When we arrived the front desk took nearly an hour to find our reservation and after which they were not informative about the property. There was no beverages offered in check in, nothing stocked in the mini bar, The food at the buffet was dry and lukewarm with very few options and did not taste great. Their beverages (sodas) tasted of salt water also the water from the sink. The bed was uncomfortable.. there was no night life and the only restaurant available with the all inclusive was not even open so you had no option but to eat at the buffet or pay extra for the sky bar. They also did not offer any room service and only had limited hours where they would serve food. The beach area was small with outdated furniture. They nickel and dimed you with extra charges for the beds at the pool etc. Parking was extremely limited on a very narrow dirt road.. this is definitely more of a 2 star hotel with the motel feel.. do not recommend.. …
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