Spent the last week of July/first week of August at Ocean Blue with my 14 year old son and a good friend. This is a family resort and there was lots to do if you wanted to. I had been afraid that it would be rainy at this time of the year and although it rained a few times at night and briefly during the day, it was 99% blue sky and sunshine. It was very hot so all we did was hang out in the pool or the ocean and enjoy it. The seaweed was cleaned off the beach every morning.
The room was large enough to sleep 5 people so it was fine for the three of us. There were no issues finding beach chairs or chairs at the pool. There was also good Englsih television reception which was important to the 14 year old boy.
The buffet was very good with a lot of variety including a children's station (macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, etc), a dietary station, crepe station, pasta station, a stir fry station, and the best array of desserts that I had seen at any of the resorts I have been to and this is my third time in Punta Cana and I have been to a five star and three star in the past.
I had the best steak beautifully presented at the beach restaurant one evening on the recommendation of another guest. It was comparable to a meal in an upscale restaurant in a large city. I would not ordinarily order steak in the DR but was glad I did. The waiter was delightful and charming. My friend ordered a curry dish but didn't like it (no kick!) and they exchanged the meal immediately.
A plane load of Brits arrived one day so there were lots of English speaking people while we were there. On the weekend more Spanish speaking people arrived and they were very well dressed and very family oriented. There was also people from France and Germany.
I thought that this resort was excellent value, comparable to some of the five star hotels. There was brand name alcohol available at the pool and beach bars and the bartenders were happy to accommodate individual tastes.

Leaving Punta Cana--a story in itself. We checked the board to discover our flight had been delayed. We had checked out and had been given keys to the courtesy room so we stayed at the beach longer. Our luggage was in storage. Checked the board again and the airport transport was to pick us up at 7:45 p.m. So we had extra time at the beach and enjoyed one more meal at the buffet. While we are on the shuttle bus, the driver gets a phone call and hands the phone to me. It was Transat Holidays rep saying that our flight was delayed til 7:30 a.m. the next morning and they would take us to the Catalonia Resort and then the driver turned off the highway and down a long dark road. No one in the shuttle said a word. We obviously got there, checked in, got wrist bands, got a drink, went to the Internet cafe to e-mail work that we would be late and then some, and went to the beach party. The airport tranposrt left at 4:30 a.m. in the morning and at 8:00 a.m. we left the DR. The orginal plane had had mechanical difficulities and I felt like it was handled all right. Some people had spent quite a bit of time at the airport before before being brought to the hotel and arrived when all the buffet was finished. Some people were running out of meds and diapers and these things were not readily available at 4:30 a.m. So that was a lesson in packing extra essentials and not planning important appointments the day you are supposed be back from vacation. Transat gave us a $75 voucher toward another flight. We were happy to have and extra day in paradise.
I would happily recommend this resort for a great vacation.

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!