Back from the Dominican Republic

I'M BACK....

The Dominican was hot, beautiful and exhausting. We saw 6 hotels in 1 day in the 95 degree weather, i'm not quite sure how I didn't melt. I had an amazing learning experience and I have a ton of information to share...but, I'll just give my reviews with photos. With video to follow at a later date...

(All hotels are all inclusive properties)

Dreams Palm Beach

The Dreams Palm Beach was the first hotel on our tour. We went straight from the airport to the hotel. The hotel is about 20 minutes from the airport and has a beautiful entryway...The resort is elegant and has great amenities. It has 500 rooms and 6 a la carte restaurant none of which require a reservation as well as a buffet. The guests at this all inclusive do not wear bracelets and have free run of this beautiful property. This property does have a Preferred Club section where the guests have access to a private beach and additional amenities. The rooms are beautifully adorned and can sleep up to 4. I would highly recommend this to those that want a smaller hotel feel with luxury and comfort. Children are welcome and the hotel has a great kid and teen club.

Bahia Principe Ambar

Bahia Principe Ambar is the hotel I stayed at. It's an adult only property and at first sight reminded me of an old plantation. This hotel is 30 minutes from the airport and is at the end of the Bahia Ambar complex. The hotel is new and still has a few small kinks to work on like the airconditioning in the room is not cold enough. However, it is a beautiful property that provides amazing service. This hotel has 528 rooms, private beautiful beach. The hotel provides concierge service, our butler was Jorge and all we had to do was mention a need and he took care of it immediately. It has 4 a la carte restaurants and an international buffet. Reservations are not required for the restaurants. The buffet at breakfast provided a great variety and and the food was very well prepared. The dinners we were served were excellent. The Ambar is a quiet property and if you are looking for a party hotel this is not for you, however you can enjoy the luxury of this property and catch a tram to the Bahia Principe Punta Cana where there is a nightly show and disco available. The room was large and nicely decorated, there are robes, slippers and an umbrella provided in the room. On my last night they place a scented pillow in my room, there is a menu of scents you can choose from and there is turn down service and they place chocolates in the room. For those individuals that had a king bed they had their jacuzzi tub filled with bubbles. I really enjoyed staying at the and would recommend this for couple of all ages looking for great service and a quiet hotel with the option of a party.

Dream Punta Cana
The Dreams Punta Cana is about 20 minutes from the airport and pure luxury. The hotel has 500 rooms that are luxurious with all the modern amenities. Dreams Punta Cana has the largest swimming pool in the Dominican and a lazy river. The white sand beach made me want to take my shoes of and run into the crystal clear water. The hotel has 7 a la carte restaurants and a buffet. None of the restaurants require a reservation. They provide their guest with domestic and international beverages. This hotel is kid friendly offering both a club for kids and teenagers. I would recommend this hotel for those seeking a warm hotel fell with luxury.
Moon Palace

The Moon Palace is about 25 minutes from the airport. The Moon Palace is not a warm and cozy hotel. This hotel is large and modern and definitely has a purpose. If you want a small islandy hotel do not go the Moon Palace. However, if you want air conditioned lobbies and sleek and modern decor. this is for you. If you want full service spa and gym and hair salon like you would find in Manhattan then this is for you. The Moon Palace is a great place for large groups and large conventions. This hotel is in the process of completing its casino which will be able to compete with any in Vegas and also in the process of finalizing contracts which will allow them to bring in famous entertainers. I spent years working on Paradise Island and this hotel reminds me very much of the Atlantis. I loved this hotel, I would definitely recommend this hotel to my clients that want modern and elegant.

Barcelo Premium Punta Cana

The Barcelo Premium Punta Cana is about 25 minutes from the airport. It's located on the beautiful white sandy beach in Bavaro. The hotel has 798 rooms and is great for singles, couples and families. The hotel sits on a large property but you don't feel lost in the size. The hotel rooms are spacious and beautifully decorated. The hotel offers 6 a la carte and they will require a reservation. There are activities available such as a circus trapeze to keep you and your children entertained. I would recommend this hotel to families and couples and singles...

Iberostar Grand

The Iberostar properties are well known and are very popular. The Iberostar Grand an adults only resort that is the perfect balance of luxury and comfort. The hotel has 260 suites. 4 a la carte restaurants, a buffet and a snack bar at the beach. This hotel is great for couples and singles looking for fun and relaxation. The hotel features a night club on a pirate ship. We ate lunch at the Iberostar Beach Grill, generally beach grill restaurants serve hot dog's hamburgers pizza, pasta. This beach grill had a great variety food including caviar and a large selection of seafood and meats. The food was delicious and very well prepared. I just got back from the Iberostar Tucan in Riviera Maya, that was a great property and my son and I had a blast. I would definitely go to the Iberostar Grand with my boyfriend, because I know the Iberostar service would be great.

Majestic Colonial and Elegance

The Majestic Colonial and Elegance are two identical properties that offer their guests identical amenities. The hotel is about 40 minutes from the airport. The hotel offers a jacuzzi in everyone of their 547 rooms. The hotel has 5 a la carte restaurants and 2 buffets. The hotel has a kids and teens club and a night club for the adults. The rooms are beautiful and the hallways are filled with art by local artists. This hotel is great for couples and families.

Ocean Blue

The hotel is about 30 minutes from the airport. My first impression of the Ocean Blue was nice but not spectacular. All the hotels visited were a 5 Apple or higher. The Ocean Blue was inviting and I really liked the way the hotel was organized, even though it was a large hotel (708rooms) it was very easy to get from the restaurants to the rooms and to the beach. The rooms were nice but not amazing. The beach and the pool was great. What appealed to me about this hotel was different elements like the bowling alley and the cute restaurants like the diner.

I would recommend this hotel to families and people just looking for a nice hotel.

Melia

The Melia is about 25 minutes from the airport and is the largest hotel we saw. The best way to get around Melia is by their tram.
This hotel is perfect for families. They are one of the few hotels that offers family rooms that can sleep 5 and their family rooms have a playstation 3 in the rooms. What this hotels offers that the other do not is childcare starting at 9 months for no additional cost. I was at first a bit overwhelmed by the size of this hotel because personally I prefer smaller hotels, however Melia won me over. I would definitely want to vacation here and would love to send my families to this hotel. What I loved besides the beautiful beach and pool area were the activities offered to the kids such as zip line (addition $6.00 per day for the different activities, but definitely worth the cost. We ate lunch at their buffet, the selection was large and the food was delicious. I would recommend this to all.

Additional Information:

All the sites were available for weddings, they all have both gazebos and beach setting available.

The majestic also has a small chapel on the property that they use for wedding.

All the hotels have on site spas and gyms

The following hotels have Casinos:

Bahia Principe

Dreams Punta Cana

Dreams Palm Beach

Ocean Blue

Majestic

Barcelo

I'm glad I can bring back my feed back to everyone.

I hope you find it helpful.

Bye