dreams -- dominican republic

[Deleted User] · December 2011

Any thoughts on dreams in domincan republic... please discuss

hboo2011 · December 2011

I just got back from Dreams PuntaCana Dominican Republic. I posted a review on Trip Advisor on Monday, but it still hasn't actually posted yet. They said they'd email me when it posted.

But I'll post it here. It's very long, just a warning! Hang on let me find it.

hboo2011 · December 2011

Overall, I’d say 6.5/10.

This will be a pretty lengthy review, just to warn ya! Both good and bad feedback. Just to give you an idea what to expect…

My husband and I booked through Apple Vacations. Apple had a shuttle waiting at the airport to take us to the resort. It was an hour away from the resort, and nowhere near any other resorts, and no street lights, very windy roads, and they drive like they own the street. All the drivers do this, just to be warned.

Resort grounds themselves are beautiful. We checked in with the Preferred Club. (just a honeymoon extra we thought we’d try, really the only upside to it was free internet to check in back home and more beer options).

We were initially in building 9 (I don’t remember which room), and it was outdated. Ceiling tiles in bathroom in desperate need of makeover. The bathroom itself was dark, only one tiny light above the toilet which made the shower very dark, water never got warm in the shower, and it didn’t drain well at all. Burn marks on the wall where some electrical issue may have taken place. Air conditioner did not work. We did not have an ocean view (or any view, for that matter) as promised for the ‘honeymoon suite’. But we tried to make the best of it and went down by the pool. By 2am, we couldn’t sleep because it was so hot. Maintenance came out, couldn’t do anything. The next morning, we even found 2 bugs in the bed. I had checked every inch of the bed before getting in the night before, so not sure how these two escaped my view!

Needless to say, we were unhappy and switched rooms. After a few attempts, (2^nd room they sent us to had guests in it, 3^rd room still no working air, 4^th room was ok, air conditioner not great, but at least cool enough) we were settled in building 6. The preferred club did send us 2 free 25 minute massages for their spa, but we had to sign papers saying that we will not be able to get any sort of refund since we accepted the massages.

As I said before, the resort grounds themselves are beautiful. But just a little warning, for anyone who has issues walking, this may not be the resort for you. The resort property is huge, so everything is kinda spaced far. Pool is great. Didn’t have any issues getting chairs/towels/waitress to bring us a drink. Staff was friendly. But they do have the timeshare staff kinda in your face when you walk through the main lobby. Also, they have a night or two where locals come in and sell art, jewelry, etc along the walkways on the property. I’ll be honest, we tried to look at a couple things, but they were so rude and pushy to get you to buy things that we ended up just walking away.

Food was fine! I am extremely picky, and do not eat seafood. Nothing was ‘OMG, absolutely to die for delicious’, but it was all fine. There are several restaurants on the property, and some do require dress codes for men, so check those out before going. Long pants and boat shoes were fine for my husband.

There is entertainment every night, a small casino, a dance club, a spa, definitely something to do to keep you busy at the resort.

As far as excursions, we did do zip lining from this resort, again, booked right through Apple in the main lobby. The Apple Rep told us it was 40 minutes away and didn’t involve any climbing. Both false! It was an hour away (not that big of a deal, but when you’re riding in some sort of dune buggy up the mountains and if you get any sort of motion sickness, this ride is NOT for you, it was so bumpy!) and there was definitely climbing involved, and walking. So just take those into account when you’re signing up. Other than that, it was a GREAT experience! Exhilarating. We’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Overall, the weather was great (80’s and sunny), pool was beautiful, food was fine (we did not get sick, used only bottled water for teeth brushing, and we did a shot of Pepto-Bismol every day just as a precaution), but the lack of room updates/air conditioner, the bugs in the bed, the distance from the airport, the pushiness of the sales staff, it kinda turned us off. I don’t think I’d recommend this resort to a friend.

hboo2011 · December 2011

We actually did two resorts in PuntaCana (I know that is spsd to be two separate words, but TK keeps telling me that I can't say the P word alone, so I'm not putting the correct spacing so it'll stay!)

We did 3 nights at Dreams PuntaCana, and then 5 nights at Secrets Royal Beach. So glad we made the decision to do that, b/c Secrets was much better. I'll post that review on here too.

hboo2011 · December 2011

Secrets Royal Beach PuntaCana

9 out of 10.

My husband and I stayed here on our honeymoon. Booked through Apple Vacations. It is roughly 20 minutes from the airport. Hotel is on the newer side, and a bit smaller than previous all inclusive resorts we’ve been to. It was mostly a ‘couples’ feeling we got, as children were not allowed at this resort.

Room was great, we were in building 5, it had an ocean view and a plaza view. Clean and updated.

Pool was pretty. I did leave a suggestion with the front desk though, that they have more pool chairs or enforce their ‘no saving seats rule’. There is a ‘pool rule’ that guests cannot reserve a chair before 8am by just leaving their towel on it and walking away. However, this rule was not enforced in any way whatsoever. My husband and I would go down to actually lay by the pool between 7:00 and 7:30 am, and only one morning were able to find the only two chairs left that didn’t have towels on them. There were plenty of chairs on the beach though.

Food was good, we ate in the café for breakfast and lunches, always a good selection of food, and always changed it up for dinner at the different restaurants. All of the portions (at the restaurants, not the buffet) are smaller than what we’re used to back in Chicago. But everything was good quality, plus you were filling up on drinks anyway to notice! Secrets guests are allowed to go to the Now Larimar hotel, (attached to the Secrets hotel through a hallway), which is a family friendly resort, but Now Larimar guests are not allowed to Secrets. Now Larimar had restaurants and entertainment as well.

Every night, there was something to do from listening to live music, to watching a movie on the beach, Monday Night Football on the beach, catching their Michael Jackson Tribute show, etc. Everyone is over the top friendly, always asking what they can get you to drink, and we only had one experience with the timeshare salesperson, not like at other resorts where every time you walk into the lobby you are bombarded.

I’d recommend some excursions. Our Apple rep, Katie, was very informative with what excursions were available. We did Zip Lining and Swimming with Dolphins. Keep in mind, both excursions are farther away than they say! Everything there is on ‘Dominican Time’! So they say something is 20 mins, it’s definitely close to, if not, an hour away. Zip Lining was amazing, but a very bumpy ride and not for someone who can’t climb/walk in heat. Swimming with the Dolphins was unforgettable! Cameras not allowed, so be prepared to buy some of their pictures if you want a keepsake.

We did not get sick. We took a shot of Pepto Bismol every morning as a precaution. Keep in mind that anything coconut (pina coladas, etc) are a natural laxative. After a few days of those, we did have to take some Immodium AD, but nothing that stopped us from enjoying the trip. Plenty of bottled water for teeth brushing and drinking. Mixed drinks and pop from restaurants were just fine, even with ice.

We did enjoy a couples massage, which was very relaxing. My only complaint about this was out of their hands- they are remodeling their spa building right now, so we got our massage in a super small, really boring room. Again, you can actually see the construction for the spa renovation, so I’m not holding that against them. But coming from other resorts where the spa areas are fantastic and beautiful, we noticed a difference.

Overall, I’d recommend this resort.

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