Rating:
"Me and my fiance just got back from a wonderful week in Punta Cana. This resort was ideal for us. We are both in our mid twenties.

Beach: It was great! There were plenty of chairs available, I just recommend walking down and throwing your towels on them around 8 am and then heading back to bed. That way they are saved for you all day. There are plenty of activities on the beach like games and aerobics. The staff working down there made our trip. Romeo is to die for! He is just so much fun and made hanging out on the beach great. Bring snorkel gear if you want to do some close to the beach. We did and it was great!

Food: Great! Book the a la cartes when you first get there. Seafood has great salmon, Italian pizza knocked my socks off and the steakhouse just speaks for itself. Make sure you book the steakhouse twice because it fills up fast and it was SO SO good! The apps and steak were just like home! The breakfast buffet was wonderful. Omelettes and smoothies were great! For lunch we ate at the restaurant on the beach. They had a pretty good selection. Some days they had an outdoor grill and we had prawns and noodles. There is also a stand where they make burgers and hot dogs all day. Burger was great! You can also get late night fries and burgers at the steakhouse after it closes at midnight. Great for late night munchies!!

Drinks: Beer was great, champagne also was! Wine wasn't bad at all and we actually grew to like the red! As for the other drinks, my guy loves them but I don't like hard liquor very much so I strayed. I did like the lemonade mix (frozen slush) with vodka. Such a great drink!!

Entertainment: Great!! As I sad before, the beach was great because there was always stuff going on. At night the shows were amazing. We watched a few of them. The Michael Jackson tribute was done by a travelling show and it was unreal. There was dancing one night (parody type dancing SO funny!) and karaoke. It was great to always know that at 9:30 we could go have some drinks and watch the shows. Get there early though, they fill up fast! They all take place near the lobby and there are two bars and waitresses. Paradise!

People: Great. These staff work so hard and if you tip a little, you have no idea how you'll be treated. They go out of their way to be kind. We loved them all so much!

Rooms: Alright, so here's where some people get a little angry. The rooms aren't all they're hyped up to be. We had a main floor room that faced a lagoon. Was it great? No, not really. I would ask if you could get a higher one on the second or third floor. The toilet sometimes ran all night and the fridge didn't really work, but who cares? We did at first but we never really drank the pop in the fridge anyhow. Just head out to the bar and get a cold one and enjoy yourself! If you are going with small children, take a suite but for couples, this was great. We slept in the room and showered. That's it! The beds were a little hard but I slept on the sofa bed and it was SO comfy!! The rooms were clean and nice and cool. That's all we care about! If you're looking for marble countertops and high thread count sheets, go somewhere else. If you want to pay less and enjoy everything else about the resort, stay here!

We would definitely go back here. The location was great, it was just a short walk to a flea market where you coudl buy souveniers and drinks. We did a snorkelling tour for an hour and a half for $30! We hardly spent a dime here! And they actually have souveniers in the gift store and they are cheaper then some of the flea market vendors. You don't even have to leave!!

Great vacation and can't wait to go back! Highly recommended if you just want to have fun without all the frills of a four seasons!
"
Reviewer: reviewer393
Date: Mar. 02, 2010

Rating:
"We recently spent from the 25Th of December to the 2ND of Jan in this hotel. Let me tell you this was better than what we expected. The grounds are beautiful and very well maintained. Ground keepers were constantly grooming, cutting all the time. The animals were a bonus, just to see them be free and walk around great for all ages. The beach was outstanding, yes a bit crowded but during high peak what did we expect? The beach has 3 bars which make its so much easier. The restaurants were great, always a variety of food. The hotel staff were so friendly and energetic.
All I can say this resort is great for all ages and for all types of people. Lots to do within the grounds or if you want to soak up the sun, then go ahead no one bugs you.
We went with my 3 teenagers and loved it!!!!"
Reviewer: Tania
Date: Feb. 04, 2010

Rating:
"This was a last-minute trip we hadn't planned for, so keeping costs low was important and we got a great deal for this resort, $900 taxes in, the cheapest we've ever paid for an all-inclusive.

That said, upon arrival, it seemed obvious why it was that cheap. It was by far the least posh of any resort we've been to (and we've become accustomed to the better ones as a result!)

ROOM: We booked a "double room"--I did not realize a double room in the DR means two single beds. Not a huge deal, we didn't even bother asking if another room was possible as it wasn't that important. The air conditioning is quite weak (I had it set for zero degrees), but with the fan it was cool enough for me. Otherwise the room is sufficient--my only complaint is the safe and the room key. Both function with actual keys (not cards), so you have to carry around your safe key (and obviously your room key) all the time. I much prefer the type of safe you program a code for.

THE BEACH: Sand is white and powdery, but there's a lot of the wiry seaweed mixed in. The water is shallow and fairly warm but again, bits of seaweed in it--this doesn't seem to bother most people, but having been in much nicer beaches, this was a little disappointing. A ton of seaweed washes ashore, but the staff rake it up every morning. It is also very very breezy on the beach.

My biggest complaint about the beach is the motorized watersports. I didn't realize this beach allowed it. There are non-stop motors and for some reason, the boats insist on sailing by right near the shore, meaning every time the party cruise sailed by, you hear the blaring music. Not peaceful at all.

There are a fair number of palapas on the beach, but as with many resorts, you have to get up literally at the crack of dawn to save one for yourself.

There is also no waiter service on the beach, you have to go get your own drink at the little bar on the beach.

Also, I found the beach was not as clean as other beaches--you'd often find plastic cups or straws discarded in the sand. So while this is the fault of the losers who litter, the staff are not on top of keeping the beach as spotless as elsewhere.

I did not know before booking this trip that the nicest DR beaches are in Santo Domingo and La Romana (on the south side of DR), and this is where I would go if we go to the DR again.

FOOD: This was probably the best resort food I've had at an all-inclusive. Lots of variety, burgers and hot dogs grilled at the snack bar. There's a "healthy eating" section, but it only ever included two dishes: white rice, and broccoli. One night there were shish kebabs, another fried steak or pork chop, both were yummy. The a la cartes were not so great, we mostly picked at our dishes, but we saw many tables just leave the restaurant midmeal. FYI: the ribs at the steakhouse were actually half ribs that were way too fatty and gristel-y to eat, and half a hunk of ham. My boyfriend found it inedible and we left to go to the buffet.

STAFF: There is a language barrier, as we don't speak any Spanish and the staff don't speak any English. So this made even ordering the most simple thing difficult at times -- and that's when you were able to find someone to ask for your Coke (we often had our entire meal before getting our drink). However, they will make an effort-- at two a la cartes, when we ordered something they didn't have right at the restaurant, the waiter ran over to the main bar to get our sangria and champagne.

In the rooms, the maid often didn't leave us the two promised bottles of water a day, only one left most days. And for some reason, she never gave us face towels after the first day.

Check-in: no drinks or cool towels for us upon arrival, just a rushed check-in where only 1 and then 2 staff were checking in the group, I found this unimpressive.

THE OTHER GUESTS: Lots of guests from Montreal and Halifax, and lots and lots of Europeans (so expect plenty of toplessness at the beach). And so, non-smokers get ready for a heavy dose of secondhand smoke. I don't smoke and hate being around smokers, so this meant having to leave my palapa until they were done smoking. In the lobby bar, forget it, you will not escape the smoke anywhere (everything from cigars, cigarettes, to pipes). For smokers I suppose this is paradise for you, smoke anywhere and everywhere you want to.

RESORT GROUNDS: Quite nice, lots of pretty vegetation and lagoons. Love all the birds (ducks, egrets, flamingos, etc) that call the resort home. Very clean.

The pool is very small though, and packed, this is where the kids tend to be (and I guess I'm used to adults-only resorts, so we generally avoided the pool).

OVERALL: an okay vacation if you're on a budget. If you can afford to spend, say, $400 more, I definitely think it is better to go elsewhere.





"
Reviewer: karenkwan194840
Date: Apr. 13, 2009

Rating:
"Hotel was quite good, there were many features that were excellent, and a few features that were average. What was excellent were the grounds, the lush setting in which the Natuara Park was set up was very beautiful. The people that worked in the resort were also very good, they were probably worked too hard by management, as there could have been more staff available at times. Rooms were average, not what I would expect from a 4 star, but it was fine. We enjoyed the food, and drinks, they had something for everyone. Entertainment in the evening was very good, and the minidisco for the kids was always fun. The pool was very nice, however there was always empty space that could have been filled with more chairs. All in all, the hotel was great and I would stay again."
Reviewer: Anonymous [via Escapes.ca]
Date: Jan. 21, 2009

Rating:
"Hotel rooms and common areas kept very clean. Staff were friendly and helpful. Front desk client service was efficient and attempted to address concerns and/or provide prompt service. LOVED the beach area, staff worked constantly to remove seaweed. Also had staff who worked throughout the day to pick up after 'sloppy' guests who couldn't walk to the many collection containers throughout the area. The resort is small compared to other resorts we have gone to but I liked the size. One didn't have to walk great distances to get to various areas of the resort. If you are one for night life then perhaps this isn't for you but by the time we had a couple of drinks at the bar and then supper, it was time for us to hit the hay. Two of the three a la carte restaurants were great with good food and service - the steak house service was not so great but not because of the staff, it appeared they were under staffed and the staff did what they could to keep up with service. Buffet foods were good but could do with a bit more variety - again can't say enough about the friendliness of the staff. Fridge in room and air conditioning could stand to be updated. Overall, had a great vacation and would definitely recommend it to others."
Reviewer: Anonymous [via Escapes.ca]
Date: Mar. 31, 2008

Rating:
"WOW... My wife and I have just returned from Blau Natura Park in Punta Cana and had a great time. We arrived on Feb 28 and left Mar 6. You will read many reviews on this website and others regarding Natura Park. I had read some reviews that were not so favorable but we decided to try it anyway. We are very glad we have. It is located right on the beach. The beach is very beautiful with other resorts on the right and absolutely nothing on the left. There is a fair amount of sea weeds that wash ashore and employees are doing their best to remove it. It natural, its not garbage so it did not bother that much. The rooms are located in numerous 2-3 storey buildings that are throughout the grounds and linked by path and bridges that cross water features that are well stoked with fishes. There are even boxes with bread in them to feed the fishes which is a nice touch. There are also numerous birds such as ducks, geeses, pink flamingo, etc. The room we had was OK but not spectacular. It was very clean, the air conditioning unit worked awesome and it was refurbished daily. No complaints at all with the room and no issues to report either. The pool is nice and not too big. It perfectly fine with us since the ocean is only a few steps away. There is a swim up bar but in our opinion, it closes too early at around 5:30pm. There are lots of chairs but if you want a good spot and chairs with shades, you need to be there before 8:30am. You will read in other reviews that the food is not the best blah, blah, blah... If you can't find food you like, there is something wrong... Lots of choices although a little repeateous. We definately did not go hungry. The three A la Carte restaurants offered excellent meals. La Perla (seafood) was excellent but the service was very poor. The steakhouse offered very ggod food as well and the service was fast, a little too fast in fact but keep in mind that our reservation was for 9:00pm. 15pm. The service at La Gondola was Great and the best of the three and the meal was also excellent. People are very friendly and always willing to help especially when you treat them with respect and treat them with a smile as well... Would we go back? Absolutely. Would we recommend this resort to our friends? Absolutely. "
Reviewer: Anonymous [via Escapes.ca]
Date: Mar. 10, 2008

Rating:
"Nice and clean room, variety of good food, beautiful resort area, great beach, friendly staff,... however, people smoke in the bar, guests service is a kind of slow if you need it, some cockcroaches were seen in the washroom."
Reviewer: Anonymous [via Escapes.ca]
Date: Apr. 23, 2007

Rating:
"Hotel was beautiful!! I would first like to say that I am very well travelled as this makes a big difference when rating a resort. Most of the people who complain about a resort have not travelled outside of the US or Canada and do not realize the little "hiccups" that are to be expected in another country. (Sometimes there are little ants in your room or the toilet runs etc.) If you are the type of person who is bothered by such little things I suggest you stay in the US/Canada as even the best resorts in these areas occasionally have trouble with electricity or hot water. After reading a mixed bunch of comments on this hotel after one of the hurricanes we still liked the sound of it and the price was right. I was pleasantly surprised to find the hotel far better than most people said. The grounds were wonderful with trees and flamingos and other birds all over. The staff was very friendly and helpful even though they didn't all speak very much English. This is understandable because as we discovered the majority of the people staying here were not English speaking (various Europeans). There was lots of selection for food and different restaurants to choose from. The food at the buffet was mediocre but the a la carte restaurants were very good. We never had to wait in line and were attended promptly at all restaurants.The main area's are all open air with thatched roofs which was really beautiful and made it feel extra tropical. I would definetly say this hotel is a 4 star with a lot more charm than most."
Reviewer: Anonymous [via Escapes.ca]
Date: Apr. 25, 2006