Booked Dreams Onyx for a birthday/girls trip. Any tips before we head out that we should know?

Hi everyone,

I am currently planning a relocation to Punta Cana and wanted to ask if anyone here works, or has worked, in any of the local resorts as a foreigner?

Is it actually possible to get hired as a foreigner, or do they only recruit locally? I have 7 years of guest service experience, a hospitality degree, fluent English, and certified B2 German, but I am currently trying to understand if the visa and language barriers make this move realistic from Europe.I do have an immigration lawyer in DR and plan to self-fund the entire process so the loss of cost could maybe spark interest in some resorts,and I am currently learning Spanish.

I would love to hear your experiences, opinions, or any advice on how to approach this.

Thanks!

Pareja de 39 años estaremos en Riu Republica del 18 al 22 de agosto, si alguna otra pareja estará en las mismas fechas no duden en contáctarnos

Seen a lot of posts here asking for boat recommendations so figured i'd write down the stuff that actually matters, from someone who's been around boats out here a while

Biggest one: ask if it's a shared tour or private before anything else. shared boats mean fixed schedule, fixed stops, you're basically along for the ride with strangers. private means the captain adjusts based on your group, weather, how everyone's feeling that day

Second: ask what's actually included. snacks and drinks sound like a given but a lot of operators charge extra once you're already on the water. ask upfront

Third: check if they can actually go where you want. saona and catalina are the two big ones out of casa de campo/la romana side, but not every boat is licensed or equipped to make that run comfortably on rough water days

Fourth, and this one's underrated: ask about their weather policy. rainy season hits different down here and you want to know if you're getting rescheduled or just refunded and told good luck

I already know to expect a lot of seaweed on the beaches in Punta Cana right now, but it is too late to change the location and flights. If anyone that currently lives there (locals obviously), travels there this time of year, works there, please give an update as I will be traveling there next week. Again, too late to change anything, I don't get around very well these days, so I really just wanted to relax on the beach as much as possible. Any advice, other than change your flight or trip, would be very much appreciated!

Also, when the beach is covered in Seaweed, can people still go and lay on the beach or do they have it restricted? And is the smell from the seaweed really that bad? I have never been to the DR and am really excited to go, I would love any advice. Also, with having very limited mobility, does anyone have suggestions to ask the front desk about rooms and things to do if the beach is off limits?

Sorry about the long post, I truly am happy about going and want to make the most out of it! I think I am staying at either Secrets Cap Cana or Dreams, I hear they try and clean the beaches as best they can, but there is only so much they can do. Thank you in advance!

Edit: Also I have heard about trips to Saona island, again for someone that doesn't get around well, I have someone coming with me to help (although this person can only help to an extent). If someone has been on a trip to Saona island very recently, is it feasible, how long is the trip time wise, and is it worth it?

Hi everyone!

My family and I really want to stay at Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana, but the rates are way above our budget. Before giving up on it, I thought I'd ask here—does anyone know of any discounts, promo codes, member rates, travel agents, or other ways to book it cheaper?

I'd be incredibly grateful for any tips. We've looked at other resorts, but our hearts are set on Hyatt Ziva.

Booking a vacation in DR for september (6-13), and we choose la romana as i saw it is sargassum free there compared to punta cana.

We will be a family of 4 (a baby of 1yo and a toddler of almost 3yo).

We were looking at those 2 resorts and they seem pretty similar so don't know what to choose between them. If youd did both resorts what are the pros and cons of each? My main concerns are beach quality (would love white sand and turquoise water), food quality, rooms and service.

And last are they worth the price?

Thanks in advance.

We will be flying United so I believe arriving in Terminal A. My understanding is there is no air conditioning in this terminal and the regular process (without VIP) is to land/depart plane into a shuttle which takes you to airport to go through border patrol, baggage claims and customs. My questions are: 1) Does the shuttle have AC? 2) Do ANY of these areas have AC or is it all just extremely hot?? 3) With VIP service - I believe they pick you up from plane on a golf cart and drive you to the VIP area. Is this area air conditioned? My husband has very little heat tolerance and so I am trying to determine if it would be worth it to buy VIP service at $100 PP. Similar questions for departure - is the process essentially the same/hot all the way through? Anywhere to get AC on departure? (and yes I know we are going to a hot/humid destination, but our hotel has AC and pools which helps him) Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

Believe the things you have heard about Cheryl Henderson & her "development company" and the dangers of investing and doing business with her and in the Dominican Republic. Ask her about Perla Bahia, Perla Amada (the contract switch) and how the owners of Maple Beach currently feel about their investment.

I'm a former investor of hers that experienced working with her and Johan Confidente and I am ready for my Netflix special. Video clips, contracts, lawsuits and experience from others will be released.

Anyone having similar questionable experiences with her and team lets connect. The truth needs to be told...

Anyone there this week? Is it bad?

Any single teens at Hard Rock

Currently planning a trip from Alberta to Punta Cana this winter, and the estimated cost on booking dot Bahia-Principe dot com, is over 1k cheaper than booking with Air Canada vacations. Even if we factor in luggage and airport transit costs, we're looking at saving approx $800 each by booking through the hotel rather than the airline.

This price seems too good to be true, although AC just says "maybe they just have a really good promotion right now that we can't match."

Does anyone have any experience in booking a holiday this way, ie getting resort + flights directly through the hotel chain? Are there any additional hidden costs we're missing? Don't want to think we scored a great deal and then get hosed later on...

Edit: I spoke to multiple Bahia reps on the phone today. After a couple of disconnected calls, I got some more information, which I'm sharing for anyone who might be wondering about this same thing.

•The place we're looking at (Ambar) has no additional "resort fees" attached to the booking, however it sounded like this isn't true across the board, so best to call and ask

•They seemed to be able to quote a price over the phone, but not to provide an e-mailed link for booking at said price. I was told I had to book on the website, then could call back afterwards with a confirmation number if I needed to make any changes

•In my case I'm looking to book with Air Canada. It seems that part of the low price is that it's rated using the Basic Economy fare -- ie, no carry ons allowed. They did say that as in the previous point, if I booked, and called them within the first 24 hours, they would be able to add checked bags and upgrade our seats/fare structure for us. This would bring the cost up, but by my math we're still looking at saving $3-500 each vs booking through AC or a travel agent.

Hi everyone,

My wife ans I are looking for an all inclusive resort destination in Punta Cana, probably end of november, and we're struggling to choose a resort.

We found a few interesting ones:

-Grand Sineris Punta Cana

-Catalonia Bavaro Beach

-Occidental Caribe (which i've been before)

-Meliá Caribe Beach

-Ocean Blue & Sand

-Barceló Bávaro Palace

-Barceló Bávaro Beach

We are not looking to go out of the resort. We like to spend the day at the beach, relax, and then good entertainment at night. (shows, disco, dancing)

We are aware that food isn't great but we've been to Cuba before and never had problems to find something to eat.

Picking a nice, beautiful resort is important but our absolute #1 priority is the BEACH. white sand. calm, turquoise water. everything else comes after.

I've been watching tons of videos on Youtube and reading reviews online for pretty much every resort in our list and i'm worried about the sargassum situation. For us, going to a beautiful resort where the beach is full of sargassum or even worse, where you can't swim, would instantly ruin our vacation.

Also, i wish people always stated what month they visited when leaving reviews or posting on reddit... that would be super helpful but unfortunately most people don't.

So, if you've been to any of the resorts i named, could you share your experience overall, for the BEACH, and also the sargassum situation? I would really appreciate it.

Thank you for your time!

EDIT: Not sure if it helps, but we're 35-36 years old.

Me and 6 of my buddies are going to Punta Cana early May. We are looking to straight party all day With a younger crowd. Is palace or republics better?

Maybe inappropriate but :

As a 23M , I Will go to Riu republica in August but I wonder whether I can get condoms at the resort or somewhere?

Hi Fashion Community, I am going on a 4 day vacation to Adults only Punta Cana resort with my boyfriend, a new relationship. I would really appreciate any guidance on what all to pack, what kind of bikinis or outerwear to take, as this is my first trip with him and a real relationship after 6-7 years being single. Open to spend about $500 or so since this is important for me. We will spend most time lounging by the resort, pool party and beach.

I'm trying to book a Last minute birthday trip.

Single Female. Solo trip. 4 day trip.

I just want to relax, do some activities (zip lining if weather allows, atv)

I don't swim, so the beach issue (seaweed) is okayyy. I mean obviously I'd like to walk on the beach but if there's an issue then I won't be fully bummed out.

I am considering going to Sacred River if the water isn't too deep lol.

Any suggestions with resorts? Hyatt and Secrets is overpriced for me. So looking for something under 2K

How is excellence? Saw Bávaro Beach Resort but few comments about the mold...

I'm traveling to PC next Sunday with a friend and staying at Secrets CC. I know all about the sargassum and unfortunately my friend has never seen crystal blue water on a beach despite multiple different trips attempting to do so. So we're looking at Saona Island as an excursion to hopefully get her there.. My question is, should we book the saona excursion now, for mid week while we are there? Or should we book through the resort? Also, looking at Amstar, it's approx $90 for basic or $175 if we book through them. Is the upgrade worth it if going that route vs booking through the resort?

I'm staying at a resort for 5 nights, but will stay at a hotel for 2 nights before the all inclusive resort.

My choices are:

- near Avalon casino

- near Bávaro beach

Looking for night life and fun. But also the hotels near Bávaro are significantly more expensive, easily $100/might more.not sure if it's worth it. Please help.

Was at the Majestic Elegance for 4 nights in June. For context we are experienced world travelers and this is our 4th trip to PC. Traveling with two adults & 2 teenagers.

Pros: The quality of the service was very good, better than other AA's I've stayed in Mexico/ Caribbean. Everyone is helpful and friendly. It wasn't very busy but there was regular poolside drink service.

Food was better than expected and on average better than other AA's been to.

Cons: Hey Majestic we need to have a serious talk about your pool chairs. Very uncomfortable metal (beige) chairs. The fabric bottoms were all stretched out from years of use to the point where you end up sitting on metal cross bars that absolutely kill your bum after more than 20 minutes. Made lounging around the pool nearly impossible IMHO. Seriously this very nearly a complete deal breaker. The only saving grace was that there was a section closest to the lobby that has much newer (white) chairs. They were tolerable (just barely).

The pool is not one continuous area. Rather there were two seperate sections (one closer to the beach and one closer to the lobby. The Lobby side seems to have been refurbished at some point. The water was clear, significantly cooler, and in much better shape overall. The area closer to the beach (which had the swim up bar) by contrast was super shabby. The water was gross and cloudy, luke warm, with a massive numbers of missing tiles. It is in desperate need of a renovation. Also the pool decking is pretty slippery.

Rooms were nice enough no real complaints.

There is an army of feral cats roaming all over the resort. While our kids enjoyed this, I can't help but think it's not a good sign. The adjoining Colonial resort was closed for rennovations. I think the Elegance could really use an update at this point.

Service: 4.5/5

Food: 3.5/5

Pool: 2.5/5

Beach: 3/5

Overall: 3/5

Hey, I (33M) will be staying at Riu Republica from July 24 to August 2nd. I’m from France and will be there solo since my friends had to back out so if you wanna hangout, have a drink, party or simply hit the gym feel free to hmu

Punta Cana excursions (update): Which tours are actually worth booking?

Hey everyone! Flying out to DR tomorrow and I'm super excited. I'm trying to finalize my itinerary for Punta Cana excursions, but I’m honestly getting overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options and different operators online.

Right now, we are definitely wanting to do:

• Saona Island (Is it better to do a private boat, catamaran, or small group?)
• A Buggy/ATV tour (Preferably one that goes to the cenotes or Macao Beach)
• Maybe Scape Park or Monkeyland if we have time?

My biggest issue right now is figuring out who to actually book with. There are so many websites and I’ve heard mixed reviews about booking directly with the hotel reps or the guys on the beach.

Which specific company or website did you guys use recently that is reliable, safe, and actually delivers a good experience? Would love some quick recommendations before my flight. Thanks!

Planning on visiting late May of ‘27. Little help on finding resort for everyone. Ages will range from 20 - 45 . Also looking for resorts with bathrooms being separate from main room.

Hey, my friends and I are going to punta cana riu republica August 5-12. Wouldn't mind making new friends. Im 22 from nyc and I personally like to go out late, drink, have a good time overall and hit the gym lol. Text me for insta or snap if you are going these days.

Thoughts on this place. It seems budget friendly, so I get it won’t be 5 star. I looked online and some people love it or they hate it.

We are not foodies, but don’t want slop. We are more relaxing with a beer than party types. We spend most of our vacation time on the beach or the pool not dancing or going on excursions.

How are the rooms? small, big, dirty?

The beach are they private for adults or do lot of kids use it? I see topless is permitted is that true? Chill topless is good. Spring break topless bad. How old is the crowd? Should we save our money and just stay on the family side?

It appears close to the airport can you hear lots of air traffic. Anything I missed. Sorry if it a lot. Thanks.

(I know someone who went 15 or so years ago. A lot may have changed since then.)