We just returned from a wonderful vacation in Punta Cana from August 15th to August 22nd. We booked our trip through Apple Vacations. The resort was a great deal for the price. Be sure to bring a lot of cash, especially ones for tipping. The stores in the hotel only take cash as well as some of the excursions and things to do such as the banana boat. Also, bring lots of sunscreen and aloe vera gel. We ran out and had to pay $20 at the hotel store just for lotion. When we arrived at the resort, we were disappointed that our Apple representative was not there to assist us. You go to the check-in desk and they will give you stickers to put your room # on your luggage. When you go to check-in, there are people sitting on the right side who are trying to sell timeshares. Just walk by them and ignore them. We did not like that our luggage had to sit in the lobby for about 4 hours and they would not let us take it. We finally were allowed to go to our room at 4:30, which was well over the 3:00 check-in time. I had expected this after reading other reviews, but it was still annoying. During the 4 hours of waiting, we ate lunch at the main buffet, La Tortuga and had drinks at the bar in the lobby. We must have arrived on a busy day (Friday) because other people we talked to did not have the same check-in experience. The restaurants are pretty good. I mean, what do people expect for the price? Our favorite restaurant was the Dominican restaurant. You have to wear pants there and the service is wonderful. I ordered garlic shrimp and it is delicious. At the end of the meal, they bring you a shot called Maja Juana. It is made from some kind of root and vanilla, amaretto, and honey. Though I read some bad reviews for Route 66, I thought it was great. It was my 2nd favorite, next to the Dominican restaurant. Order the ribeye steak! It's huge and delicious! The Mexican restaurant had okay food, but it was extremely hot in there. My husband was sweating. Mike's Coffee is awesome! We went there every night after dinner for dessert and coffee and we brought playing cards. It was so much fun. The cappuccinos are delicious. There are two places to eat for lunch, La Tortuga, the main buffet, and another one, I can't remember the name of it, right next to the beach. Not to be gross, but bring diarrhea medicine. Many people we talked to got traveler's diarrhea, including my husband. You will be glad you brought it. Trust me, we were. Breakfast is the best meal of the day. The crepes are delicious and they have Nutella to put on them. I had them everyday. They also have omelets made to order, pancakes, homemade donuts, etc. Okay, well enough about food. The beach is the best part of this resort. The water is so clear. There is a little seaweed but not that much. We spent all our time at the beach and barely went to the pool. The pool is disgustingly warm. The ocean is much more refreshing. There are a lot of activities to do. They have a dart tournament every day at 10:45 by the beach and the winner gets a bottle of rum. They have water aerobics in the pool every day at 12. It's really fun. They have step aerobics in between the two pools every day at 4:30 followed by dance lessons at 5:00 in the same spot. They had a beach party one night and that was a great time. We had a ball doing the Macarena in the sand. Bring white because they have a white night at the club one night. You will have a great time as long as you don't expect the Ritz! It's a nice place but it definitely is not America. I would recommend bringing your own sheets. We felt itchy in their sheets.

Have just returned from a fabulous holiday on Friday August 23.
Loved the arrival at beautiful Punta Cana Airport and was stunned by the lovely lobby when we arrived at Ocean Blue.
Check in was easy, and efficient and our bags didn't take long to arrive at our third floor room which was spacious, clean and lovely and cool.
We ate at most places at Ocean Blue our favourtie being the buffet but our teenage boys loved the steaks at Route 66. Mike's Coffee Shop was also a great place. Had a little bit of an upset stomach but propbably more to do with quantity of food and alcohol consumed rather than food issues.
The beach is stunning but be aware that swimming is reduced to a small penned off area close to the shore due to the large volume of motorised traffic moving along the shoreline to avoid shallow reefs.
Used the Hobie almost every day (had to pay initial insurance of $15 but after that we took it out without a fuss). Boys also windsurfed and kayaked. They also did some Scuba Diving with Wellington from the beach shack which was very good value and they thoroughly enjoyed.
Found the bar staff helpful and usually very friendly, liked the lobby bar best where we had our baileys, Beefeater gin, Champagne or Tequilla Sunrise cocktails before dinner.
Pools were amazing, and the beach has little cabanas for shade which do tend to get booked out very early.
Our only disapointment, which we refused to let it ruin our holiday, was that $400 was taken from our room a week in to the holiday.Unfortunately we were made to feel the criminals and not the victims by the hotel, and the police refused to attend. Hotel Manager Danoli did step in and change our two rooms to the Elite Club rooms in Villa Six so that we wouldn't feel uncomfortable and we of course were much more careful with our things after that.
Still left feeling that we had a great holiday.

Just returned from this hotel and it was great. I have stayed in many All Inclusives in the Caribbean including Sandals and Beaches and this hotel is very good.

Ok the staff do not speak that much English but it is a Spanish Island! If you go to Paris do you expect then to all speak English? No. go with an open mind and you will love it!

The beach is lovely too, not as good as some others but still beautiful.

The rooms too are more then fine for what you need. Anyway, how much time do you spend in there anyway? Food was great in all the different places.

Overall I loved and would go back.

Ignore the fussy ones that moan about small silly problems, you'll love it!

We visited Ocean Blue from March 29 to April 5, with a group of 44 people. Our visit was a little different, as we were traveling with (and as a part of) a radio station promotion.

LOBBY: was lovely. Open, airy and breezy with plenty of seating. There is a bar in the middle, which we used each night as our group convened before dinner. There is also entertainment (live music) starting about 8:30 or 9 each night. The reception area is closed off with glass doors and air conditioning, so you stay cool even if it's sweltering hot!

ROOMS: Ours was fine. We were in Villa 3, on the second floor, which we found to be conveniently located. It's not super close to anything in particular, but it wasn't a bad walk no matter where you wanted to go. We did have 2 separate incidents with our safe not working. The first time it was repaired quickly; the 2nd time I had to call a few times, but they finally did arrive. Maid service was fine. It could get late in the afternoon before they arrived, but since we didn't spend a ton of time in our room during the day, it didn't really matter. We had no occasions of any insects.

BEACH: Was very windy - but blame Mother Nature if you don't like it! There were several canopied seating areas, but you had to get there early if you wanted one. No sense complaining - it's like that anywhere! Otherwise, we always found somewhere to sit.

FOOD: There was plenty to eat. We visited the buffet each day for lunch, and a couple of dinners. Was the food the same as the day before? Sometimes. But it was still tasty. We also ate at all the restaurants that were included, and though there were a few dishes I didn't like overly much, for the most part there was always something good to choose. The smaller buffet by the beach was also a good place - try the pizza!

BARS: Were fine. Treat the servers with a little respect, and you'll get some back.

SERVICE: Can't complain at all. Because we were in a different situation (being with the radio station), we required a lot of help from the resort - and they were very helpful. The resort manager and his staff accommodated all of our requests cheerfully, solved our many problems, and were always available to help.

ENTERTAINMENT: Fun. We never went to the casino, but we did hit the disco on 3 nights. Lively, fun, and the DJ was happy to find any song we requested. We closed it out! One night the staff from the show came in and did some fire tricks. Very cool. We also participated in the "Ideal Couple" show - which was a blast.

SHOPPING: I had luck at the beach vendors; the ones that came to the resort on two nights were really pushy. Just keep walking!

We also had a private party in the small buffet on the Friday night and it was great! It is an additional cost, but if you're traveling with a group, this is a great way to wrap up the trip!

All in all, it was a fun trip. Enjoy!