4 Star Dominican Republic Holidays

Tim Baldwin

Just got back from a 3 night stay at the Occidental Caribe. This was my 5th time in Punta Cana, first time at this resort. This resort is pretty big. You will get your steps in. The resort is very pretty on the outside. Keep in mind this resort is 25 years old. The rooms need A LOT of TLC. The bathrooms are dated and dirty. The buffets were not the best. I would recommend the pool side grill for lunch, or the Pizzeria. The pizza was outstanding. You can find something on the buffet to tickle your fancy, but don't expect to be wowed. This resort is located on the Atlantic Ocean side, so expect a lot of wind and somewhat rough water. The best description for this resort is POTENTIAL. It is beautiful and offers excellent guest service, but many things need to be improved.

Classic Studio

**Hotel Review** I recently had the pleasure of staying at this wonderful hotel and I couldn't be happier with my experience! I would definitely rate it five stars. The beach is absolutely stunning, making it a perfect spot for families to enjoy. However, I should mention that the waves can be quite strong, so it might not be the best for little ones. The rooms were impeccably clean, which added to the overall comfort of our stay. The staff here are incredibly friendly and welcoming, making us feel right at home. The food was delicious, although the selection was somewhat limited, it was always fresh and tasty. Overall, this hotel is a fantastic choice for a couple getaway, and I highly recommend it!

Joesee Smith

I recently stayed at Occidental Caribe for 5 nights, and it was an absolute nightmare. Upon arrival, the condition of our rooms was disappointing, but we tried to remain positive. That optimism faded quickly when I started waking up every morning with new bites on my legs and feet. After inspecting the mattress, I discovered bed bugs. The bites turned into open wounds, oozing pus, making it impossible to enjoy the rest of our stay. Even worse, my 3-year-old son also had bites, and his discomfort added to our distress. The resort’s response was to move us to another room, but the new room was no better. The ceiling had water damage and was falling apart. The resort offered to launder our clothes, which took over 24 hours, leaving us without essentials. I had to spend over $100 on new clothes for my son. On top of that, our car seat and stroller, valued at over $1,000, were damaged and couldn’t be salvaged because they couldn’t be properly cleaned. When I brought these concerns to the manager, I was met with a dismissive response: “It’s a tropical place, get used to it.” The only compensation offered was a certificate for two nights, which was insulting given the severity of the situation. The issues extended beyond us—my parents’ room was falling apart with mold growing out of the walls, and we spoke to other guests who also had bites. This resort is a health hazard, and the lack of accountability from management is shocking. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. If you value your health, safety, and comfort, avoid Occidental Caribe at all costs.

Aaliyah Noor

The location was wonderful. The room was okay, I had issues with my door but I managed. Alfrendy, Alexander and Sebastian definitely made the visit a lot more enjoyable and fun. They are hilarious and life of the party! Great sense of humour :)

Steven Dwyer

Overall good time very clean and maintained. Any issues we had were promptly handled. The pools were amazing although we had rain for half our trip. The beach is also beautiful. The best food we had was at the Japanese restaurant by far.

Kofi Osae, LL.B, JD

Horrible horrible experience. The workers at the front seemed to look down at us and we're extremely dismissive. Either because of our skin color, our accents, who knows. But very poor customer service. The rooms were disgusting. Food at the buffet was gross. Pools and beaches were gorgeous but that was the only positive. I will never return. This resort is definitely a quick/familiar destination spot for locals but NOT for tourists who are used to higher quality vacations. Every other resort in the area was beautiful!! A shame we didn't spend extra dollars to go elsewhere. Unfortunately, I won't be returning to the DR. A lot of anti-black undertones. Shameful.

Aneta Grenda

After flying 10hours from France and not knowing what to expect , I can say that I spent an amazing 10 days vacation in Be Live Collection Adults Only Punta Cana with my mother in every way. The hotel is very clean, cozy,and beautifully designed. The rooms are very spacious, clean and have very comfortable beds. The chefs and the staff are very friendly having always a service with a smile. The food was very fresh and tasty with lots of variety . The beach was beautiful and long , great for walks. In addition the General Manager and Nicolas from the VP desk were very attentive to our needs and made us feel like home. I highly recommend this hotel and will definitively come back even if I have to fly another 10hours ! :) Thank you everybody for making our vacation a very memorable one. Best regards, Aneta G.

alex szcz

My family and I came to this hotel for our summer holiday in July, it was lovely! Amazing views and generally quite clean, we had a few issues with our first room but was quickly and easily sorted! The food in the buffet is quite simple but the restaurant system is very good. All of the staff are super friendly and welcoming, most of them speak English too which is great. The entertainment is great with something different everyday, biggest appreciation to ‘sexy belly’ who never fails to make everyone laugh! All around a nice experience and would recommend, definitely would visit this hotel again.

Caroline Fawzy

Resort was fun! They had foam parties, large pools, servers and bartenders were great! I enjoyed the a la carte restaurants a lot, the buffet was okay! I did get food poisoning pretty badly for two days - I think from the burger/wing shack. Overall I had a blast though! Resort was beautiful, rooms were large and air conditioning worked well!

Terri Bresolin

After reading the poor reviews, I feel fortunate to be having a mediocre experience. There are not enough loungers. The swim up bar smells so bad I couldn't sit there. My room was clean and on main floor pool view. Paid for VIP but cannot get top shelf liquor. New yrs eve dinner was tasty but I was still hungry and there was no food planned at the new yrs party's. Went to bed hungry. Have to fight to have beer placed in my fridge daily. The all inclusive doesn't include lobster at the lobster house! I had to argue with staff for beer in my room. Some staff were friendly...others not so much. Overall would not recommend. There are better serviced resorts nearby.

E G

I stayed here for a week with friends. Overall, I was very unhappy about the service and room conditions. When we arrived, our swim up room was dirty. The white bedding was stained brown and the floors and bathtub were dirty. From there, we went to use the phone in our room to call the front desk to let them know the state of our room and it turned out our phone did not work. When we went to the front desk to get some help, they said they will have it clean by tomorrow at 2pm... We asked if they expected us to sleep in the dirty bed for the night, to which they seemed frustrated and finally sent someone to clean it within the hour. Throughout the week, we found ourselves wondering why room service wasn't coming every day and had to constantly ask the front desk to send room service because we needed the necessities like towels and water. While our friend was taking a shower in their room, a fist sized rock came falling out of the ceiling and hit the toilet. Luckily it did not hit anyone but it was very shocking. Towards the middle of the week, things definitely got better. There were certain staff members who were amazing (lobby bar staff) but a lot of the time the staff wasn't as kind and didn't seem to want to help. The resort itself was very well kept and clean. And, the beach was absolutely beautiful. When it came to the food at the resort, it was better certain days and times. If you got to the buffet right when it opened for breakfast, lunch, etc, it was better but still not great. Overall, it was not a bad resort, it was just a rough start.

Ryanna Hansen

Good experience here. The beach was nice and enjoyed that they had a man made sandbag/barrier to keep the waves down. Lots of beach chairs and some food options at the beach. Rooms were standard, nothing special. Pools were good though limited seating/chairs. Bars were okay, nothing special. Noticed that English was minimal here. Food was just okay with no real variety. Dinner restaurants were okay as well though nothing special other than variety from the buffet.

victoria Van Dusen

*** IF YOU READ ANY REVIEWS LET IT BE THIS ONE**** there are many fake reviews on this hotel and please don't get stuck here. I booked this resort for a week, and I could not be more disappointed. When I arrived to my room there was a dirty white lace thong hanging from my shower and glass all over the floor. ( please see photos attached) the sheets are stained and the rooms dirty. The food is absolutely disgusting. The only meal I could eat on the resort was breakfast until day three when I went to get some scrambled eggs and found myself eating plastic and egg shells in my eggs 🤮. I ended up eating off the resort and the food around the resort was delicious. The restaurants on the resort are absolutely horrendous. I went to the American restraint for one night ordered the steak. The meat that came out was not steak and all muscle. I couldn't not cut it, my boyfriend ordered the steak also and was served pork ( pork was not even on the menu) or at least we think it was pork. The gourmet restaurant is to be avoided the food was awful the table beside us ate plastic in their cheese cake. The resort is advertised as multilingual it is absolutely not, no one spoke English not even guest services. The staff was rude we always would smile and tip almost every single time we got a drink or spoke with someone and not one staff member smiled back. They were doing construction (cutting tile )at 10pm to 2am for the first 4 nights my poor boyfriend hadn't slept for 4 nights. When I finally asked the guest services about possibly changing rooms she showed us 2 rooms with no Ac. The staff would constantly be of their phones ignoring you. I am not one to complain in fact never write reviews on google but if it could spare someone from visiting this resort I will do it. just another side note we met SEVERAL people who had things stolen out of their room one person lost a whole bag another money and when they approached the front desk they said the cameras were not working. PLEASE PLEASE enjoy your vacation somewhere else.

Luzdivina Sánchez

Great location. Right in the heart of bavaro and perfect for those who want to explore outside the resort. The staff was AMAZING. We really loved the service and we had such a lovely holiday. If you love wild life dont miss this place. Lots of exotic birds with their babies around the space keeping life colorful and interesting.

Donna Aubry

Rooms-Our room was on the 3rd floor, we requested a different room because my husband has difficulty walking but we were told to use the elevator which was 15 rooms away. Our bathroom had mold and the door jammed, our ceiling fan would not shut off because the switch was broken. The beds are hard and I am not 100% sure the sheets were changed from the previous guests. The bedspread was rough and dingy Service-The majority of the staff are miserable, unfriendly and unhelpful. Very few are multilingual which makes communication very difficult The location was okay, the beach was nice and close The shows were okay, except the girls are very highly sexualized and some of the dance moves would be better suited to a strip club. Restaurants-The Tapanyaki and Gourmet restaurants were decent. The Mexican restaurant was okay. The sports bar and Italian were too awful for words but thankfully the buffet was also decent and saved the day. This resort is rated as a 4 star which is much to high for what you get for the price

Nadiya Gatych

This is the worst vacation that could have been. The beach looks beautiful, but when you go into the water, you step on the stones. It is impossible to go into the water without shoes. It is simply terrible. People walk slowly so as not to get hurt. There is nothing to do with small children on the beach at all. The food at the resort caused stomach upset. And not only us. Everyone we asked had the same thing. The toilets on the beach did not flush for several hours at all. Also, the water in the rooms was also gone. Good shows in the evening. Good cafe with delicious coffee. But your health is undermined. Imagine that in the corridors and bathrooms they put laminate on top of the tiles. Shock! The water gives off an unpleasant smell. In our room, the balcony was painted when we were on the beach, and my son was in the room. The smell of paint! Nothing, relax. I do not advise anyone to go here. Under no circumstances. Just not here!!!

Jenni Phillips

We are on the last couple of days here and the service has been outstanding! Anyone can find something to moan about but if you have any issues just let them know and they will resolve it straight away. Special mention to Brandor at front desk. Nothing is too much trouble and he does it all with the biggest smile! The entertainment team work relentlessly to make sure your holiday is full of fun.. you must have a dance with la maquina her hips don't lie. All staff from front desk, the team, the cleaners (Maria in block 6 is AMAZING, always happy and sings beautifully) to the guys who work around the resort are so friendly. The buffet is nice the food is fresh but can get a bit repetitive but all restaurants are lovely. Our personal favourite was chopsticks.. again another wonderful Maria in there... yeah baby! Thank you for everything and see you again

Yuriy Grygorchuk

Very good resort indeed. The grounds are well-maintained, the staff is very responsive, the rooms are not new, but clean. Not a big foodie here, but the food is quite adequate. Wifi is everywhere, and is quite fast. The biggest disappointment is the beach, which is very important for me. Small, crowded. And there is a belt of corals right at the water edge, spanning through the length of the beach. The water is always murky, so you can't see the rocks. It is very difficult to get in and out of the water. I'd say it is dangerous. Water shoes with thick sole are highly recommended, and even the must.

Luka Curwy

We had a great stay in the Sunscape Dominicus la Romana. Recommended! What we liked most: • great beach • beautiful sunsets • delicious restaurants with great variety • chopsticks (Japanese restaurant, especially the waiter Domingo) • good evening program • the animation staff (especially Powell, La Maquina) • really good vibe, a great place to make new friends What we didn't like: • sometimes we had to wait very long at dinner time • the room service sometimes took our bed sheets and didn't give us new towels • the rain came through the balcony door so we had water in our room • our water tap was broken but got fixed during our stay All in all I can recommend the hotel. We had a great holiday. Many things are already pretty good, in some things I see the possibility for improvement.

Alexandra Diaz-Izurieta

We went on a quick trip. The beach was beautiful. Our room was in the adult section with a beautiful view. The food at the hotel was pretty bad, drinks were ok on our side. However, the drinks on the regular side were not good… The servers wouldn’t go to the hotels private beach to serve you, you always had to go back to the bar if you needed something. This is such a beautiful place that the hotel could totally improve food and drink quality for a better experience.

Average Maintenance

Awasome all-inclusive resort. Staff is friendly and always ready to help. Food is good and plenty at any time. Beach is very specious and clean with plenty of umbrellas. Swimming pools are always available. Chairs are good quality. The coolest thing is room key being wrist band, which you can't forget. All in all, the resort is awesome.

A O

The experience was great, and the atmosphere was pleasant. However, it would be even better if some facilities were renovated, such as the gym, which could benefit from a larger space. Overall, it's been a positive stay. Additionally, providing a shuttle service would be a fantastic addition.

Susana Santos

Great place, very nice. I wish the sittings in the buffet were more clean and the tables, but still very nice. The Chinese restaurant was amazing, the chef was so funny, really enjoyed it. And the cherry over the cake is the animation team, Andres (chocolate 😄) Jalin and Diana were so friendly, very interactive and funny, the best part was definitely the animation team. Would come back just for their kindness and respect. Truly recommend this hotel

Amelie Marie Weber

The hotel is stunning. The rooms and the entire property are exceptionally clean and beautifully maintained. Free-roaming flamingos, turtles, and iguanas add a special charm to the experience. The three large pools are fantastic, and the beach is equally wonderful. The food, unfortunately, didn’t quite meet our expectations. In addition to the buffet, we tried several of the à la carte restaurants, but unfortunately, none of them impressed us. The biggest downside, however, was the service. While there are some very friendly and attentive staff members, a large portion of the team seemed overwhelmed, stressed, or not in the best mood. The organization also left room for improvement. For example, our room wasn’t ready and clean even two hours after check-in, and in one restaurant, we had to wait 1.5 hours for our food. The activities, such as dance or yoga classes, didn’t seem to be led by professionals and often didn’t take place at the scheduled times. One exception was the beach party, which was planned with great attention to detail and was a highlight of our stay. All in all, it’s a lovely hotel and perfect for a few days of relaxation. However, to truly meet the five-star standard, food and service would need to be significantly improved.

Nashika Kelly

The resort is awesome. Full of activities and nice people especially Diana. She made us feel comfortable to try new activities. Rooms are mediocre and buffet food is okay. Great vacation for price. Fine dining options are superb.

Chelsea Riggins

Had an absolutely wonderful time with my sister. Everyone at the resort was so kind, the rooms and the resort in general were super clean. The food was delicious. We ended up upgrading to the royal level which was so worth it. We did not stay in a royal room but that did not bother us at the standard room was wonderful. We ate at the royal restaurant, the seafood restaurant, steakhouse and buffet and everything was excellent. Definitely would love to go back at some point.

D Andrew Hoch

We just got home from 4 nights in Paradise!! From the start the staff made our stay amazing! Danny at the front desk really helped answer all our questions and showed us the ropes for our first all inclusive experience! The beach was amazing as we're the pools. The Mexican restaurant and steakhouse were the best meals. I was a huge fan of the buffet, but the omlettes and fresh fruit were great. Would absolutely return.

Hugo Matte

First of all! Best butler is Carlos Rosario! You need to get in contact with him at your arrival, he will take care of all your needs and make sure you get a VIP experience! The resort is amazing with super nice rooms and views. The beach is fantastic. The food was pretty great and the restaurants were amazing too! All in all we had an amazing vacation!

Laureen

Stayed at this resort for 7 days with my two kids, one of which was 9 months old and a 3 year old. Overall we had a good experience. Here’s a breakdown of details: Room: we stayed in building 26 on the ground floor and our room was great, roomy, well air conditioned, hot water, the cleaning ladies were great too, always gave us extra bottles of water and towels. Towels were not always super white with some permanent stays but always smelt clean, we did find a few bugs in our room but nothing alarming. Now if you are looking for a western version of a 5 star luxurious hotel, this hotel is not it. I would say it’s more of a standard hotel experience. Kid related stuff: although we requested a crib in our room, was not there on arrival but they managed to get us one shortly after our check-in, something to note if you are travelling with a baby, cribs are not a guarantee if there are non available. They have high chairs in the buffet and restaurants but sometimes it’s a naissance to get the table top for it, not sure why. That part was sometimes annoying. Kids club was good but super hot! The lady working there was lovely and friendly, there’s a ball pit. Wish they would invest in new toys tho cause most are broken and old. Service: overall good, sometimes we were lucky to have awesome servers sometimes not so much, the worst experience we had was at the Steakhouse a la carte, maybe miscommunication but they forgot the meal for our 3 year old and we kept asking them about it, she only received in 1.5hrs later, they never apologized, that was probably the only bad experience. Location: awesome! The resort is right on the beach, only downfall is you get hounded by locals selling on the beach Food: I read reviews saying the food was bad, I always thought there was a lot of selection to choose from, always had something to feed my baby, like fruit, boiled egg, potato or grilled chicken. Yes it repetitive with the selection but I found there was enough to choose from. I would highly recommend making dinner reservations, we enjoyed them, especially the guacamole at the Mexican restaurant! We enjoyed the Italian restaurant best! In all: I would recommend if you are not a super picky traveler and would probably not pay more than $1500 per person for this resort. Recommendation for management: would be great if you invested in updated chairs for the beach, some of them looked so run down and broken, maybe have boundaries for sales people so that people that don’t want to be bothered have a place to just chill, I was feeding my baby and people were still asking me if I wanted my braids done or a bracelet to buy. Also invest in new toys for kids club and get rid of the broken ones. And shout out to the 2 ladies at kids club they were amazing! Abel at the buffet, tried to sit in his section every morning, great service, and the maids we had, really awesome!

olga blanco

We visited in August and stayed for 15 days. We stayed at the Royal level and were quite disappointed with the food a la carte restaurant. The Staff was very moody. We never got a smile or a proper welcoming. We have been members for 20 years and this was by far the worst service ever. The royal level bar was great and so was the staff. Always with a smile and very professional. Thank you Enrique and Willy who have made our stay a memorable one. The beach is spectacular it sure is a paradise. The rooms are well kept and clean and well situated as everything is close by. We have stayed in building 21 on the main floor which we have enjoyed very much. Overall the resort itself is beautiful and very clean. Only down poor was the food and service at the Royal Level (cold atmosphere). If you can offer more choices on your menu and change the staff it will make a difference. Did not feel welcomed at all in this restaurant as a member. We enjoyed eating at the buffet and the other restaurants where we were welcomed and treated nicely.

Kason Gower

We loved this resort! We did the presentation, but wasn't in a place to purchase. However, the gentleman that gave our presentation was not pushy at all. We really enjoyed the activities, and the bars/restaurants. Everyone was very accommodating and have the best, funnest personalities! Duracell with the activities gave us the utmost attention and left us with a lifetime of memories. He even took us for a walk down the peer and pointed out many jellyfish, barracuda, and many other sea life, as well as the fascinating plants as we passed them. Thank you Duracell! Also Rosa in activities. And a shout out to Sandy the bartender for making the most delicious drinks. I wish I had time to name everyone. You guys are great! Keep it up!

Nette T

Had a wonderful honeymoon here. The staff is excellent and friendly. Edwin and Chanel were amazing. They made sure that we had everything that we needed. Large rooms. Great food. Great drinks! Wonderful atmosphere. I would definitely recommend.

Minnie zimmermon

We visited this resort the first of July. There was a lot of planned activities for the guest. We really enjoyed all of the staff even though there was a language barrier but the employees tried to ensure that we were comfortable. We enjoyed it so much that we invested in the property. We are looking forward to our next trip with the rest of the family. If you visit the resort make sure you visit the spa!

geogman2

We just returned from DR Cap Cana. We stayed at Sports illustrated all inclusive resort (SI). It was the worst vacation we have taken. The rooms are old, the room we had, you can see where the ceiling had been repaired one of the AC's worked the other did not. There was no microwave, no iron, ironing board, the deck was falling apart and the food was terrible. There are very limited choices of places to eat. Even a couple of open restaurants at the resort were NOT included with the vacation package, therefore you are limited in food choices. They are so far off the beaten path, you have to take the shuttle to the beach or rent a golf cart and go. while we were there August 1-6 2024, the ceiling fell in at the main resturant. Most of the staff do not speak English at all. All the shops at the resort with the exception of 2 or 3 were closed and looked abandoned. Do not go until they complete construction which looked like it will take a couple of years.

Jennifer Fifth

I look forward to seeing the room improvements that are currently taking place. The Hydrospa was awesome and the private tour with Alex was the best local tour we've ever had.