Medved

Both scheley and cmx didn't get an upgrade as Plat. Interesting, was it because X-mas/NY or prop is getting into a habit of non-upgrading from day one. Considering poor level of training noted in both reviews, maybe the case. In my experience, new props are either very good or very bad in terms of upgrades in the beginning. Usually, it evens up in year or two.

BulaRae

Wow, to be honest, it sounds awful and I'm going to cancel my week starting January 27th and go somewhere else.

schley

I want to echo the sentiments that the staff are very courteous and try to help but the training and lack of protocol is obvious. This will eventually be a nice property for the location and new hotel facility is very nice. The service should catch up.

BulaRae

The two biggest things that concern me are the lack of upgrades for Plats and the comment about no privacy for the toilet. I fail to believe they are are booked at high occupancy (their rates show they are not). I never share anything but am taking a friend on a much-needed vacation and we were going to share a room and having a small room that isn't an upgrade and no separation to the bathroom, much less toilet, sounds appalling—especially for a brand new property—what the heck were they thinking?

Everything else sounds typical of coutries and cultures where they make you feel like they really want to accommodate and are doing the best they can but they just don't get it—they say "Yes" no matter what.

Flews

I did some research before it opened, and my recollection is they only have a handful of suites.

Have to say I'm not feeling the love for this property; although I find DR to be a bit too grubby for my tastes in any event.

Cheers,

fishermb

I am going in 2 weeks, hopefully they'll fix some of these issues. For those who have been, do you recommend trying to rent a car? We plan to spend all day on the beach but with the mentions of poor service at hotel restaurants and taxi gauging, would renting a car be worth it?

Also is there anything worth venturing off-property for? Other hotels? Restaurants?

cmx

I wish I would have rented a car, but I'm not sure if that would be any cheaper. The required insurance (which I'm not that familiar with) is pretty expensive. Roads are in great shape and driving isn't nearly as crazy as I anticipated. Gas is around $8 a gallon, so factor that in too.

I believe parking is free. There's only like 50 spots of unmonitored parking, which was more than ample when I was there.

Wisdom

I'm due to go in late February. I think I may cancel also. No bathroom door? And they can't get the wireless working? There are a lot of different hotels that have these and more.

peano

Thanks for the reviews. I am going to go to Florida instead.

kconrad88

I just wanted to echo a few points about this property...

I went with my girlfriend from 12/26/-12/31, I tried to apply SNA to our stay well before checking in. A few days before we were supposed to leave I checked the reservation online and my SNA requests were mysteriously cancelled. I emailed my ambassador and she said for someone reason the SNAs could not be applied and she couldn't reach the hotel. When we checked in I mentioned that I had requested a suite, and was told I was upgraded to an "extended king" room. which turned out to be a normal standard room.

Like other comments made, the resort did not seem crowded at all. There were always chairs available by the pool/beach in the morning and there were only a couple days when every chair at the beach was taken. Also, many of the employees speak broken English but they try really hard, especially in the restaurants. Luckily, we found a couple of helpfully waiters (Skylarn, Luigi, and Robert) and they helped us out the entire week, but I could tell other guest were becoming frustrated with the service. We heard that the main cause of the issues is with the kitchen staff who are very inexperienced.

The property itself it really nice, the beach is awesome and very private. There is a kite surfing school right next to the property, which is fun to watch as you relax on the beach. But besides that there is really nothing else around. There is a restaurant "Playa Blanca" that is a short walk down the beach and a couple of golf courses, but that is it. We took the shuttle to the Punta Cana village and the place was empty, with exception of the Wendy's and the super market. The roads around are nice and you if you rent a car you can always drive up to the Hard Rock and Bavaro, where there are more restaurants and nightlife.

If you are looking for other things to do throughout the day, we booked private excursions we found on trip advisor. Both excursions picked us up from the resort and drove us to our destination.

Overall, it is an okay property and will get better over time.

Wisdom

What nationality were most of the guests at the hotel? Was it mostly families?

kconrad88

Yes, lots of families. They all seemed to be from the States or Canada. There were only a few younger couples there. There place was pretty quite at night, on our last night they were preparing the new year's party so the band/dj was preparing until 11 or 12.

They also had a kids play area with a jungle gym and swing set, as well as activities throughout the day for families by the pool.

Wisdom

Thanks for the reply. Just a few more questions please.
Did you have a door on your bathroom?
Did you happen to ask if this hotel gave the starpoints instant rewards where we could cash in points for vouchers to be used at the hotel?
Do they have restrictions on European style sunbathing?
Did you feel their prices for meals were within reason?
Did your room come with a small refrigerator?
Did you used any of the taxis to get around?
And...would you stay at this hotel again?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

kconrad88

-We did have a door between the bedroom/living room and the bathroom, and the bathroom itself had a divider between the toilet and the dual sinks/vanities.
-We did not ask about the instant rewards. They do the typical 500 points upon check in, and you can opt in for the green choice rewards (something I was unaware of until our last day there).
-Not sure on the sunbathing restrictions, did not see any topless sunbathers while we were there. Some male guest were in speedos but that's it.
-Prices were okay for food, we averaged about $100 a day for 2 people. For breakfast we "upgraded" the plat breakfast for $8 from continental to the buffet and had a couple of drinks each day. We went to the Anani restaurant for a majority of the meals and had the same waiter each time. Instead of tipping on the bill we gave him $20 cash and he made sure we were taken care of the entire time we were there.
-Our room had a mini bar fridge, it was not charged based on weight so we made room for the drinks and snacks we brought. I did not ask if an additional fridge was available.
-The only time we used a taxi was to get to and from the airport ($20 each time), there is a free shuttle that will take you to a few nearby places including a supermarket that sells Presidente and liquor. The only time we left the resort it was for an excursion and they all provided transportation.
-The property itself it awesome, it is close to the airport and is great if you are looking for a spot to relax on the beach for a couple of days. The staff just needs a little more experience and to work out a few kinks. If you can be patient and understanding they will make sure they do their best to help and you will have a great trip.

ENJOY!

Wisdom

I really appreciate the time you've taken to respond to my questions. I'm still debating whether I go to Punta Cana in Feb. or wait until Sept and go to the St Regis in Bora Bora. I'll have to spend a heck of a lot more for the latter though.
I think I'll try sending one more email to the hotel in Punta Cana to find out about cashing in starpoints for hotel vouchers.
Thanks again.