Dominican Republic

Arrived to a friendly reception, easy check innwith a drink and butler service for bags. First room had issues, tub didn't hold water for baths, shower door stuck on tile floor making almost impossible to open properly, flickers lights, sharp tile....not impressed. Switched rooms next day and found warped/sharp shoer drain and tub that didn't hold water. Switch to a 3rd room and finally fine. Lost several hours of our trip dealing with all this and the potential hazards with a 5 year old was not my idea of a top rated resort. The food was awesome. Pools were great. Staff amazing. Lots to do if active or relaxing. Kids club and water park were used and were a blast for my 5 year old. Beach was nice but too windy to swim at. Lots of weddings so lots of late night music and boisterous people coming back to rooms late. Building a resort next door so be prepared for that for the next year. Was overall a good trip but we will not be back.

We had an amazing time at the Majestic Mirage! The rooms were spacious, the staff friendly and helpful, food and drink options were plentiful and delicious, pools and oceanfront well-maintained....truly an excellent time. Would highly recommend this resort to anyone looking to travel to Punta Cana.

We just returned from a 7-day stay at Dreams Onyx Resort & Spa in Punta Cana (July 17–24) as a family of four adults in the Preferred Club, and it truly exceeded our expectations. A special thank you to our butler Josue, who made our trip unforgettable. He answered all our WhatsApp messages immediately, helped with dinner reservations, checked in on us at meals, and stopped by the pool and evenings to see how we were doing. Josue's friendliness and care made us feel at home, and it was hard to say goodbye. At Coco Café, Elidiana greeted us daily with a warm smile and welcoming service that made our midday coffee runs something we looked forward to. The Preferred Club buffet and breakfast team, especially Juan and Ignacio, made mornings fantastic. They served us fresh coffee and mimosas, cleared plates quickly, and were always funny, friendly, and thoughtful — even learning our names and wishing us “see you tomorrow.” We spent most days at the Preferred Club pool from early morning, and the staff here were outstanding. Thank you to Ismael, Inoel, Nellis, Alejandro, Jensy, and towel staff Angel and Mariano, who had our towels ready, saved our seats, and ensured drinks were always in hand. They got to know us personally, remembered our names, and asked about life back home. Their kindness and humor turned each pool day into something special. The Preferred Club itself added great value with exclusive lounges, a private pool, and upgraded amenities, but what truly made our stay was the exceptional staff. We highly recommend Dreams Onyx and the Preferred Club to anyone considering this resort. Thank you again to everyone who made our trip so memorable — we hope to return soon.

Took the transfer from airport to resort provided by Bahia Principe. Once at the resort check in was easy. They use a wristband with a chip in it to open your room door which was great. Didn't have to worry about leaving the room without the key. We had to make an adjustment to our room (2 beds not a king like they gave us) and they accommodated that immediately. Grounds and pools are clean and this time of year lots of loungers. Beach has that great sugar like sand with plenty of loungers for resort guests. Preferred buffet to specialty restaurants. Highly recommend this property

We were specifically looking for a luxury all inclusive resort. While this hotel promises a five star experience, it was more of a four star experience. The staff are lovely and, for the most part, warm. The resort was quiet which is what we wanted. It just didn't offer the experience of the five star stay we were looking for.

Our personal experience was strong overall and we had a good time. I wouldn't however be likely to visit this resort again. Standard room was small, bathroom is tiny. A/C was great though! Would look closer at Diamond club room upgrade if visiting in future. Beach/ocean had a lot of seaweed and was not comfortably swimmable due to winds and high waves. Pools were generally well maintained. Playing the towel game is required as there is a very limited number umbrellas. Afterhours options are non-existent..Sport bar turns in to a tiny club with ridiculously loud music..like 20min = hearing damage loud. WARNING -Strong Travel Membership sales component! Sneaky tactics used with pressured sales pitches. Do not say 'yes' or put your name/info on anything after leaving the front desk, this includes the 'concierge' at your room complex ground floor.. unless you want a sales agent to sit for breakfast with you and your SO to waste 90-120min of your vacation attempting to sell you a $20grand USD travel membership with a 13% interest rate on the portion you finance after paying the required $8000 amount to your CC on the spot. They do give you a $100 voucher for spa or excursion to sit through the torture and say NO at the end tho.. so.. yeah we used that voucher for a very fun happy hour booze cruise LOL.

Nutshell-Weather, was awesome. Beach and water, were amazing, warm, and clear. Sargassum, was non-existent. Sand, was soft and fine. Usually a little windy in afternoons, which is why kite-surfers can be seen down the beach to the west. Food, very very gooood. Days were Windy mostly but not a joy-killer at all...just too windy to take one of the several small catamarans they have (didn't see one out the whole week...strong winds, shallow reefs, and large waves beyond I suppose) Note- staff at front desk and guest services speak English very well... But everywhere else, not so much..very limited.. Beach and water - The multitude of small reefs keep the waves from shore, but the water can have reduced visibility for snorkelling when windy and wavy. Snorkelling was surprisingly good if you are adventurous...the leftmost and rightmost parts of the enclosed swim areas have the best stuff to see...you swim around whatever reef they have and simply cross under the floating line when needed...the further from shore and swimmers, the better the reef and fish....no boat traffic/dangers due to shallowness of reefs.. I'd say bring your own gear.. no need for water shoes, as the water is clear and you can watch your step to ensure you're walking on sandy bottom and not reefy/rocky parts. Food - Amazing. Being Celiac (although not as sensitive as some), I asked a wandering chef and showed a laminated (spanish) card I had printed and he showed me around pointing out what not to eat...but most glutinous food was easy to spot (deep fried, breads, thick sauces etc...) I had no troubles selecting and eating a variety of delicious foods at every (buffet) meal...they have gluten free breads at every buffet, wrapped individually (mini-croissants, baguettes, other..) My only gripe was desserts...only gluten free options at buffet were jello (actually was good) and ice cream (soft and soupy), but I'd load up on FRUITS !! A la carte Restaurants- The French- was really good (gluten free options for me) even dessert . The Fish/seafood- restaurant was disappointing as all I could have was the Steak (quite good!). All other option had gluten or a mix of shellfish which I also avoid. My wife loves seafood and has no dietary restrictions and she wouldn't return...nor our 2 girls. The Brazilian- restaurant was good...lots of gluten free options too and dessert...meat is served on a skewer which is actually a sword, with different servers coming to you and cutting away (from their swords) as much as you desire...so you can sample every meat... Overall vibe - People and staff are very friendly.. but if you don't speak Spanish, you basically come last. Especially at the pool bar and certain other bars...you could be next to be served aaaand a Spanish speaking person waltzes up , then another...and you get your drink when they'r gone...even little kids at the large pool bar would clamber and splash and annoy the bartenders, maybe they'd serve them just to get rid of them..?...if you are a parent of kids under 14, please tell them to vacate the bar area if not ordering... Do yourself a favor, learn like 10 key Spanish phrases like how to say "wait your turn, like I have been", or any other important info you'd like to share such as being Celiac. Fun, activities, sports, entertainment team is great. Not a party resort due to lots of families and kids. We have 2, ages 13 & 17 yet lots of small kids mostly in main pool and bar... We opt for beach when on vaca. Despite signs saying No Reserving, get to beach chairs by 8am to drop your stuff and towels to reserve...earlier if you want a palapa near the water... Excursions- Ask tons of questions before paying. We did El Lĩmon water fall, monkeys, zip lining in a day, and did a half day snorkel boat tour. We'll, the falls had a mud/land slide moments before we were to jump in the water. The left side had rocks and mud come crashing down and the water remained muddy likely for hours...no swimming after this...my wife helped one of the 2ppl slightly injured..could have been deadly had more people been gathered to the left in the water. Zip lines were very fun, but we fealt rushed and monkeys were veeerry cute (be sure they weren't fed recently, or they'll likely just stay in the giant mango tree...there are only 7 squirrel monkeys but they all came down and crawled on us) Snorkelling- well, we survived... Boat brought us about 30min out and east of resort...first stop was a nice cove with beach, but snorkelling was shit...just below Vin Diesel's place...calm and no waves.. 2nd spot- in large waves we were told to jump out and swim twd the large waves breaking over a reef (we were in the boat about 300m from shore), so there we were, 25-30ft of water, fighting waves to get closer to the reef. Boat capn had troubles and disappeared for 10 min before we spotted him...then the last spot was nicer, still waves yet smaller and manageable. The 4 of us are strong swimmers...a family with younger less experienced members would likely have perished...Capn spoke little to no English or French...had 50yr old gear (good thing we had our own), and life jackets...what are those?? He had 2, I think, in the boat, but they seemed like they came from the Titanic... don't laugh, I'm being serious... Oh, security was waiting at the beach for us upon getting off the boat (about a 20footer with small canopy), to escort us to guest services, who basically reprimanded us for going on an excursion with an outside provider, but i showed her our receipt and explained we'd gone through it all with the A.trnsat rep positioned at the resort daily...and she seemed confused confused...her concern was for safety which I completely agree with, yet we had no idea we'd reserved "outside of the resort".? Had we been injured or died, I think no one would have known, so keep that in mind... Conclusion- Did we have fun?? Of course!!. Would we return? Of course!! But knowing all this now, would greatly impact how we'd proceed with same excursions...ex- opt to walk the 3km trail to get to Falls as they brought us on horses with personal guides walking the horse for us... asking for tips (again no French or English)..The trail has horse shit but I'd walk around it next time and I'd jump in at the smaller (beautiful) falls along this trail; as they claimed we couldn't go with the horses...the path is beautiful...walking would have been better... The end of the trail had like 200 steps to hike down anyway..then back up...ya definitely just go on your own, pay the entrance fee and walk like we saw others doing... Lastly- being celiac, they have 0, Zero gluten free beer... Not even 1 option. So I stuck with regular drinks...which are good... Oh, the room... Well, A/C was weak yet we were comfortable... Bed a little hard but we slept well...we spent sleeping hours in the room and don't really care about how lavish it could be...bar fridge stocked everyday with what you drink...had 3 mosquitos buzzing around at night BUT none outside at all, day or evening... Would we return?? yes!! Especially knowing what we know now ... Just wanted to avoid sargassum Would I go on excursions...not the ones we did...maybe the quad/buggy mud run others went on.. snorkelling I'd definitely do again BUT I'd research best places and providers and ensure to ask exactly how they proceed .. our half day was supposed to include turtles and manatees...they didn't.. otherwise I'd walk east or west along the beach and investigate the plethora of reefs accessible from shore...or take a taxi from resort to an area know for great shore snorkelling...but I'd be happy exploring around the resort again.

Travelled from Halifax with a group of 17, families with older children 15-22. It was our second trip to Puerta Plata with this group late in April (due to university exam schedules) and had an awesome time. Overall this resort is a little older but the upkeep and ongoing renovations make this a great value for your money. The grounds are very well kept and there was continuous morning grooming around resort/pool/beach. The buffet had a large variety of fresh food that was replenished regularly with very good quality. The beach buffett had the usual lunch options of pizza, fries, burgers and nachos but also offered a full salad bar and fish/beef/chicken options. It also had ice cream and cones. Japanese and Italian a la cartes were very good and they did their best to accommodate our large group. We thought the Mexican was only ok but no one left hungry. Premium drinks were offered at all bars and there was a drink menu to pick from which was nice after filling up on the usual drinks. All servers were very friendly with the usual waits during busy times. Pool seating was busy but with a small group I'm sure you could find a few seats even during busy times. The beach had available seats all day which was amazing in my opinion. Also not a lot of vendors all day at beach, they came and went with out a ton of interaction and they were all friendly. Lobby was great, shops were great, shows were great. We played pickleball with our group a few mornings and Pablo at the rec centre was awesome. There's 2 real courts and they offer equipment. Disco was fun for younger members of group, opens at 11:00 Taxis in town were a great option for a day trip and pretty cheap. Overall I think that if your looking for a solid 4 plus star resort, this would be the place to visit.

I stayed at the Fantasia with my family. (I was a single traveler who met my parents and brother and his family). The resort was good considering we were traveling with small children, but I would not return unless I was with children. The resort was generally nice and taken care of but was outdated and rundown in some places. My parents' room and my room each separately had a leak in our ceilings. I went to the front desk to ask for maintenance and then called again hours later when it still wasn't fixed. The cleaning staff came and saw the trash can filling with water and called (in Spanish) to ask for help. Only then did they show up to fix it. My back, sliding door was broken but I didn't bother asking for Maintenance because I knew it would fall on deaf ears. The entertainment was average. Not better or worse than I have experienced at other resorts. Drinks were delicious and strong. One bartender was rude and purposely overlooked me. Eventually I learned that if I had my tip showing in my hand when I waited, I was given quicker service. The food wasn't superb, but not bad enough that I wouldn't return because of it. The biggest problem I found, which is not a problem exclusive to this resort, is the language barrier. A very very large majority of the guests were Spanish speaking so the staff and especially entertainment crew didn't even bother trying to speak English. Games by the pool were completely in Spanish. Lastly, I arrived at night, 30 minutes before the buffet was closing so the front desk told me to leave my suitcase with the bellboys and go to eat. When I opened my suitcase, I found jewellery (some bracelets, a necklace, a jewellery bag and a lip gloss) that didn't belong to me. I returned the items to the front desk but was bothered that no one was watching my bag and things could have been stolen. Good, almost great, but not excellent. I have had better experiences at other resorts.

- Express check in performed professional by Fabio at the Reception and Juan did a very good job at Guest Services helping with all our requests and needs - Room cleanliness is good but regular maintenance required - Restaurants staff should have more training in serving clients