After booking, and then coming to this Web site to read reviews, I thought I had booked the most possible worst vacation in the world. My boyfriend said, "Keep an open mind, I don't think it will be as bad as it sounds". Well, we arrived at the airport and our pick-up Van to the hotel was right there. Arrived at the hotel checked in no problems. We were escorted to our room, which was nice. However the bathroom in the shower had a big glass divider which was cracked all the way, so we asked for another room with oceanview. After looking at 2-3 rooms we settled on one right over the pool in building #1. The room was excellent!
Everyone was very nice and helpful the whole vacation. The one review was right about the poolside music starting at 9:00 am and played till 5:00 pm. So sleeping in was impossible. The restaurants were ok for food. Nothing to write home about. Yes, there is no night life, unless you sit and drink at the bars, that's about it. We never did find the disco, but then why would you want to buy drinks there when they are free everywhere else on the resort. The VIP Party Sunday night was awesome, great food and music. About our only complaints there were no face cloths to wash with in the regular hotel part. I was told if you are in the timeshare areas you get them. Also, we had hot shower water the first night, and then after that just COLD shower water. We asked the maintenance man to repair. Well, sometimes you better watch what you wish for, for the rest of the trip the water was scalding hot! The representatives trying to sell the timeshare tours were not bad at all, they ask nicely, politely and if you are insistant on no they left us alone (but we knew how to handle them, my boyfriends sister sells them in Florida). The vendors on the beach were really nice, but sometimes a little pushy to come into their huts to buy stuff. Haggle with them they will lower the price. If you get the chance visit the VIP Beach!, that is the BEST place in the whole resort. We spent our whole vacation laying on the beds, eating, drinking, swimming and using the spas (they don't believe in hot water spas, or showers I think). We met a great couple who had a timeshare and showed us it, which was just georgeous! and they invited us to use their shares since they bought 52 weeks worth, and can trade them off thoughout the world. So , all in all, I might return their just for the VIP Beach someday.

I would never, ever return to this resort nor would I ever recommend this resort to anyone:

1) They lied about not having the reservation and put us up in a dump -- My friends and I arrive at the resort at night with a confirmed reservation for eight separate penthouses, 4 with two bedrooms and 4 with one bedroom. We get to the front counter and they insist no such reservations exist and even though we told them over and over again in Spanish (because we had a native speaker in our group) which exact rooms we had booked, they insisted that they put us all jammed into two hotel rooms in the trashiest hotel rooms I've seen in a long time. They were rude about it and shoved us into two hotel rooms and we were so tired from trying to argue with them that we decided to go to bed and handle the situation in the morning.

2) The hotel rooms that they put us in were extremely substandard. There was feces and obviously stained urine on the toilet seat and the sheets were dirty. I have never stayed in a room where I can ACTUALLY SEE the feces on the toilet. Even urine stains I can accept, but feces -- that is a level of dirtiness that I refuse to accept while I am on vacation.

3) In the morning we try to resolve the issue with the manager. She explains that all EIGHT rooms have been flooded out and decided to put all 8 of us in a three bedroom (men and women in the same three bedroom villa).

4) They lied about the flooding because we went to knock on the doors of the penthouses we had booked and people were already occupying them. So they clearly had double booked and gave it away to whoever arrived first.

5) The three bedroom villa they put us in had only one working bathroom because two didn't flush and one blew a leak on the floor causing one inch of water on the bathroom floor. Although it wasn't as dirty as the dump we stayed in the first night, having one working toilet for eight women is ridiculous when you've paid over $2000 for a THREE night reservation.

6) They tried to scam us for extra money when we went to pay for the all inclusive package by asking us to pay extra for staying in the villa which they put us in after they gave away our rooms. They insisted that we had made phone calls after we had already checked out of the place so then at checkout they tried to scam us more. They then sat and argued with us about the money for an hour...even though many of our party had already paid for the all inclusive and somehow they "didn't have the record in their computer system."

7) They asked us to pay extra for the villa insisting we were "lucky" that they put us in a three bedroom villa even though we had paid for 8 penthouses (one for each person) and even had the audacity to say that the resort was doing us a favor by putting us in the three bedroom leaky place with one working toilet.

8) They have zero customer service and the managers on site are rude, discourteous, and yell.

All in all my friends and I enjoyed DR, but if you want to stay here or get a timeshare here, be prepared for an experience like ours. We spoke to people having the same problems as us. They told us they couldn't do anything about it because they already paid for the timeshare and they can't return it. They said that the resort just constantly changes names so as to avoid all these terrible reviews on their record.

My friends and fellow travelers -- do not ever go here. They will try to scam you for money and put you up in a dump. We paid over $2,000 for our accommodations and got completely and totally ripped off.

I have read many reviews of this place, and I find it so interesting to read the many perspectives. I am probably not the"typical" resort style traveller. I have always sought places that are beautiful, simple, peaceful, unspoiled, unexploited locals and authentic.

The only reaason I landed on this vacation was because my family booked the trip, and my husband and I wanted quality time with them. Otherwise there is no way on earth we would have landed a place like this. And when I say a "like this" I mean the whole "resort experience." So I chalked it up to be a somewhat of an anthropological adventure.

Now my husband have traveled all over, brazil, mexico, etc. I was really anticipating the worst, when I read the reviews. I have been to places that are unclean or "seedy", However this has nothing to do with cost, because I have stayed and very clean beautifully simple places that are inexpensive. So anyway, I was really starting to regret our decision to go. People said it was gross, dirty, buggy, that people got digestive issues, and all the rest. It sounded terrible.

We westerners are truly a sheltered bunch. I think many of us leave from Europe or the US expecting to land in Miami, or Los Angelos, I am so embarressed for us.

The place was actually quite lovely in the grounds area. And because I expected a horror show, I was pleasantly surprised.
Westerners sometimes think they can jsut show up anywhere in the planet without having to adjust for anything, that CLub Med should be there waiting for you with perfumed sheets in Timbuktu. Such a self-centered slave -master mentality, These people who wrote these reveiws, its tru, its hard to feel things are not perfect, when you are trying to find paradise.

But the wierd thing was not the resort itself, but the whole attitude in this environment.
One cant help not being able to get past the whole imperialist relationship. Between the gringos and this developing country most of whom were all waiting on and serving us.

Fact is, we gringos will never find paradise in a pre-fab, disney land faux man-made"paradise. It is true, when you over develop beaches, and pour pina coladas on top and call it a holiday, you'll never really relax, and you'll never really find the true peace you are looking for.

For those of you who understand me, I applaud you. for those who dont, well, go enjoy lifestyle hacienda!
But here is a hint, enjoy th wonderful local foods they prepare at the casablanca restuarant bufffet, and realize, you really are in another country, not las vegas, so be humble and come prepared.

My husband and I walked across the highway one day, and we saw how some people in the DR really live. Mud slicked road, chickens, ghetto, where people smiled at us beautifully and have nothing. We felt strangely more at home there, because truth liberates.
The we walked back across to the resort, where people sat drinking by the pools, and our relative was sullking and feverishly complaining about not being able to do text messaging and slow internet.

The contrast was so shocking, I thought, gosh, we westerners( and we Americans) have have a LONG way to go in our understanding.

If you read up on the DR, you'll find the history a little more then illuminating, and then you'll understand why you feel wierd at resorts like this.

Not that the food was not nice (it was good) and huge buffet!, and the disco was fun to dance in (whats with the whole VIP craze? The VIP lounge is just another example of how everyone wants to feel liek they are special, they have all been sold this hip hop video mentality, total nonsense.)

The area around the rooms weren't very clean. Actual rooms were very clean. Nothing was taken from the rooms. Clean towels and sheets every day.

The mixed drinks were awful; better off drinking beer. Good wine at the restaraunts!

Casa Blanca buffet has the same breakfast everyday, but very good lunches and dinners.

Bellini and Indochine are very very good! The Mexican restaraunt Zorro, not so good.

Anyone you speak to over the phone, doesn't speak English.

Spa prices were ridiculous! ALL THE PRICES ON THE RESORT WERE RIDICULOUS!

Do take advantage of the Horseback riding tour with vendors on the beach!

Paradise Island isn't that great, the corals were ugly and dirty. Fish were pretty neat. Good food if you go with vendors on the beach. 3hr drive.

The beach is dirty, we stayed by the pool the entire time. Very nice pools, one with volley ball net, small pool for children, and pool with swim up bar.

VIP disco is alright.

Hotel staff won't usually ask for a tip, but everyone else WILL.