After reading many reviews on the Princess we decided to give it another chance. We were there 4 years ago and I got sick then. Not as sick as this time but my gut was not right for a month after returning home. The reviews seemed that there had been some improvement with the food but my experience was again, not good.
Yes, the beach,the rooms,weather are very good. Thats why we went back. The setting is beautiful,if only they could get their act together with the food it could be a 5 star resort.
I was there one day and a half and I got diarrea. I was very careful and also had no drinks but bottled water and 2 beers. By thursday I had to go to the clinic. A very nice Dr. in the clinic on the grounds prescribed me anti- biotic, pills for my bowels, pepto bismol and intravenous drugs for 2 days, to the tune of $430. Nice vacation, I spent most of my time in the washrooms. I have never had anything like that in my life. I am back to work this week and still I'm on gatoraide for my electrolights because I'm feeling so weak.
It's not hard to figure out why people get sick. The buffet food is NEVER hot. It sits there room temp for hours. Sure there is plenty of food but all of it has no taste and is sitting there growing bacteria. I even tried a hard boiled egg,thinking that was safe. It was so over cooked,black yoke that just disentegrated it was so dry.My husband ordered a caesar salad at the Tex Mex and it came like soup with so much dressing on a hot plate.Don't bother trying to make a caesar if all you have is iceberg lettuce. The food is a joke.
Will I go back? Never. I can spend my money in many other places with a nice beach and not get so sick ,it ruins my holiday. I went knowing it was not gourmet, I did not expect that. The only word I can use to describe the food is slop.
By the way a wedding party had 5 sick people and another young couple from England were sick.My husband spoke to another lady that was ill also.
The animation team are so irritating. This is supposed to be a adult resort. I can make my own fun. I don't need someone pulling me out of my chair to teach me dance lessons or play volley ball. The music they blasted at the pool everyday was for their pleasure only. The same 4 songs every day. I did not see anyone else looking like they enjoyed it. as a matter of fact some people got very mad at them in the pool, they were so pushy and overbearing. People tried to ignore them but its pretty hard when the music is blasting and you can't get away from them, they just take over for 3-4 hours every afternoon.
Go somewhere else!!!!

Just returned from the Princess. I read the review and I think expected too much. Yes the resort is beautiful and yes they keep it so clean - the biggest pluses....but we wouldn't go back.

The best employee there is NELSON! We love Nelson! Please make sure you go to the pool bar. It's "Happy Hour" there!

The entertainment isn't the greatest at all. You really need to want to go to the sister resort for that.

The food - okey dokey....Tex-Mex was the best for us.

The down fall was the vendors on the walk way to get to the Buffet at dinner time...really couldn't believe the resort would allow that..nagging on people...Stay clear of "Joe Low Price".

We go to Sunset Beach Resort and Spa in Montego Bay and thought this resort might be similar - It isn't...Doesn't compare only that Princess is all adult - that was the nice...

We took a tour and went Saoma Island - All was well - bus ride is long - but you see the country this way.

All in all it was a good trip and we met some really good people from all over and enjoyed the resort but wouldn't go back.

We stayed at the PCP from June 18th throught the 25th and had the "VIP" package for what that is worth. We have been to many all-inclusives and consider ourselves not very picky or hard to please. Let me start out with the positives: Yes the gardens are well kept and we even tipped the gardeners for their hard work. The beach was nice, the water clear, the sand white and smooth. Expect to walk out about 15 feet and then it does drop off. The most beautiful beach we encountered was on our tour with the Dune Buggies. That beach was called Macao Beach. If you take this tour you will get extremely muddy and the mud doesn't come out of your clothes, so bring clothes that you don't care about. Do bring candy or treats for all the children that come out of their houses to bring you pictures and flowers. I gave a few of them a dollar, but wished we would have known to give them something else.
Check in was smooth and you do get their punch and a cool washcloth which you will need after your very bumpy ride to the resort. Every resort I have been to has done the same thing though. It took about 45 minutes as you have to drop everyone else off and this is one of the last resorts. My advice would be is to get your own taxi to and from so you don't have to wait. Friends that we met paid 33 USD at night from the airport which is higher than their daytime fees.
The conceirge service in the lobby was helpful, polite, took us to our room right away with our luggage. We did get the fruit basket, 1 small bottle of rum, 1 small box of 3 cigars, and the towel decorated with flowers. Yes the room stays moist as it is humid. Remember to bring a candle and it will keep your room smelling fresh all week long.
The rooms need major updating. The bathrooms are very outdated. They were rusty. Our drain was always stopped up when taking our daily showers, wash cloths were only present on the first day, but we knew this and had brought our own. Maid service came in the early afternoon and late at night for turn down service which was a nice touch.
We stayed in the 5000 building on the bottom floor which was nice since it was 20 feet from the pool. We are not early risers and we were never disturbed by any pool noise. Some friends had the third floor and said the high ceilings made your room feel larger and they could see the ocean. There were many channels to watch about 1/4 in English.
The food: After reading the reviews I expected way more than what was spoken about. The Tex-Mex filet mignon I received was tough but my husband's was cooked just right but not anything to brag about. The plates always come out hot and so will your caesar salad. This is really the only salad to speak of here at the resort. Everytime you get a drink, make sure you ask for your glass to be filled with ice or you will be drinking hot whatever you drink. This is throughout the resort. Il Bacio, the italian restaurant was way below average. I ended up getting sick after eating the smallest portion of lasagna I have ever been served. They did serve my husband a second piece to compensate for him being able to eat it in 4 bites. Our friends said they had enjoyed it there and got big helping of the raviolis and fettucini. We never ate at the Fondue but heard it was good. Our friends said it took 3 hours and there was no ac in there and it became very hot in there once they served the different fondues to everyone.They also said the seafood restaurant was good, but we don't care for seafood so we didn't eat there. All the buffets were way below average. There is no taste to any of the food and it is very bland. Luckily I survived off of rice and bread all week. Everyone we met got sick at the resort including us and we could never pinpoint what we ate or if it was what we drank. The bar tenders were average and not very animated compared to other places we have been to. The drinks were just ok. And I finally had to make up my own drink for the week as they could never get it right. There is no cranberry juice here, nor coconut rum or real orange juice. The margaritas are nasty and they don't even carry any named brand tequila.
The animation team is just plain annoying. The same stupid dancing and yelling of applauso throughout the day at the pool made you not want to be there. We had our everyday players for volleyball in the pool which was fun except we had to fight the animation team to get a decent ball everyday to play. Then once we were out there, they harrassed us to do their activity which we didn't want to do, so they would come over into our game and try to take over.
The gift shop was way over priced compared to anything else. If you want to get deals you must go down to the beach about 1 mile to the left. You must heavily barter to get a "cheapy cheapy" price. They will give you the calculator and tell you what do you want to pay. We always ended up paying half of what they were asking. Don't pay more than 5 dollars for any shirt or hat. Coffee should be around $6 and windchimes $20.Paintings $20-30 medium sized. Make sure you bring pants and dress shoes for the guys as you can't get into any of the restaurants except the buffets without them. We thought this was ridiculous as the girls could come in with just shorts,flip flops and a tank top. Go figure!
We went to to Caribe Princess for the shows. One day we had walked over there to find out no shows were going on even though it was advertised.
Would we go back to the PCP or the Dominican Republic again? No. Just a note Our best waiter for the week was Serapio at the Beach Breakfast Buffet. He was so attentive and really went out of his way. If you go in to the Bavaro Shopping Center, expect to be called names and be insulted over trying to barter. They don't want to go down even a 1/4 and I guess they don't need the money even though it was one of the most poorest countries with trash everywhere, with dead animals on the side of the road waiting to be slaughtered. The roads were the worst I have seen and wehave been to many places. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me for an honest review. Hi to Victor, Pura, Adrienne, Todd, Terry and Bob. Shoot us an email we would love to hear from you.

A group of 6 of us (mid-20’s/early-30’s) stayed at the Punta Cana Princess from June 16-21, 2008. We were all in Bldg. 4 on the 3rd floor – great views of the pool and ocean! The resort seemed only ½ full while we were there – plenty of chairs on the beach and at the pool!

Overall, we loved this resort – the size, friendliness of the staff, food, atmosphere, etc. The resort is smaller (less than 300 rooms), but still has the same amenities as larger resorts. We liked the fact that it is adults-only – not having to vie for seats at the pool bar with kids drinking virgin drinks! J This overall made for a quieter, calmer resort as well.

Rooms – Beautiful, did not feel they needed “updating” as some have mentioned. We liked the island-y feel and vaulted wood ceilings. We were platinum guests – thus had the rum, cigars, fruit basket, robes/slippers, stocked mini-bar, etc. I’m not sure, but this may be the standard. There was a note that we could upgrade to “VIP” for $15/day with a 4 day minimum. I personally didn’t feel it was worth it, unless you really want the massage and special meal. Beach beds (actual beds, not the chairs under palapas) seem to be open to all – and they are HEAVENLY!!! (this may have been because the resort was not crowded and all and ¾ of the beach beds were not being used every day).

Beach – Clean and beautiful. Beach beds and chairs/palapas are both nice. Water was warm/refreshing. Great breeze off the water. We did have a server on the beach, Francisco, who also manned the beach bar. He’s great!

Excursions – While exiting the water our first day we were approached by Fernando, who was selling boat/snorkeling trips. We “booked” a trip with him (he’s with Cayena we think – he had a yellow shirt on). This trip was AWESOME and only $25/person for over 2 hours – just the 6 of us were on a smaller boat. They took us to the big roped off snorkeling area in the water, passed by the sharks/rays/dolphins area, went to the natural pool (all 3 of these are parts of the “big” snorkeling trips that are $70-$90), and then took us around the shipwreck (which we requested). 2 of us girls also got to sit up on the padded area at the very front of the boat for the ride and sun ourselves! It was a fun trip and I’d totally recommend it! The other commercial snorkeling trips take longer to get the 50 or so people on/off the boat, once in the water everyone is crowded and kicking each other trying to snorkel (we left soon after the big boat arrived), and the only thing extra you get is some rum punch and mamajuana! I’d definitely advise – GO FIND FERNANDO (he walks along the water in front of and to the left of the PCP).

Food/Drinks – We enjoyed the food. Breakfast and lunch buffets were good. Breakfast – yummy omelets made to order, fresh chocolate croissants, lots of fruit, etc. Lunch at the main buffet was good too – they had a fresh pasta station, grill (chicken skewers were amazing!), and my favorite, the freshly tossed Caesar salad area. I really like all the made-to-order stations. Lunch at the beach buffet was OK – good for a quick pressed sandwich with the freshly grilled chicken! The fries (with the nacho cheese sauce!) and pizza at the beach bar were excellent. NOTE: All a la carte restaurants are not open every night – check with the front desk to find out which nights each restaurant is open. Dinner – we ate at 4 a la cartes: Swiss/La Petite Fondue (the Chinois sliced beef was delicious, shrimp app. fondue and swiss cheese fondue were both great, brought us a bunch of cold apps. too, chocolate dessert was yummy!), Italian/Il Bacio (florentine chicken was good, great bruschetta app., good service), Tex Mex/Río Grande (great food and service, filet was better than the other cut of steak offered, cheese sticks app. were the best we’ve ever had, interesting “margaritas”), and Asian/Shangay at Caribe Club Princess (the beef dish and chicken/broccoli dish were great, fried rice was good, fried ice cream – AMAZING!!!). The boys ate at Brazilian/Rodizzio at Tropical Princess when the girls ate at Shangay and they said it was OK. One word of advice – if you go to the Dominican Beach Party on Tuesday night, go early or plan to eat somewhere else and then go to the party later. We went at 9pm and the roasted pig was pretty much gone and the “cold” salads had been sitting out for hours (I ended up getting a stomachache that night). One thing I tried right before we left that I wish we’d went to more was the Creperie at the Caribe Club/Tropical Princess. As for drinks – they’re all great. If you want top-shelf liquor, just ask for it. I had many blended Absolut vodka/lemonades. The Caribe Club/Tropical Princess lobby bar had tons of top-shelf liquor – again, just ask. The usual blended fruity drinks are always good (but melt so fast!). Presidente with a lime is always a solid choice too! Nelson at the pool bar was great!

Atmosphere – Our group loved the Anamacion team, especially Jose and Louis!!! They had fun activities/pool games during the day and Friday night was karaoke. They have so much energy – passing out sangria, organizing games, etc. Nightlife was pretty calm (except for karaoke night). We went to the Caribe Club/Tropical Princess (really 1 big resort) several nights for the Arieto disco and show (Lion King – surprisingly pretty good!). The lobby bar at Caribe Club/Tropical Princess was also pretty happening. We also went to the Tower Casino one night – fun atmosphere there! The staff overall at the PCP was EXCELLENT – so friendly! We never felt that tips were expected, but gave them because of such great service.

So, we loved the Punta Cana Princess. The resort itself (grounds, rooms, etc.), atmosphere, staff, food/drinks, etc. – we could not have asked for more!