We have just got home after an amazing holiday at the Ocean Blue Resort, and wanted to review the place as soon as possible ... especially to respond to negative comments by others.

We'll take you through what was a fabulous experience step by step.

First of all, don't dismiss this as a knee-jerk review by rookie travellers who havn't seen the world ... this is our seventh time in the Dominican Republic, and won't be the last, as the experience was positive from the very beginning. This wasn't destined to be the case, we've been around and have been disappointed in the past, but we expect good service, good facilities and good surroundings, and if we don't get them, we let people know.

After a 10 hour flight from the UK and a 35 minute transfer, we were in no mood for any nonsense, but check-in was a great start. Fast, efficient, and a (very) well air-conditioned area. A huge, well presented lobby area floored with polished marble is always nice, but a relaxed ambience and pleasant staff made a real difference. Sure, you won't be discussing astro-physics with the reception staff or the bell-boys, but their English was good enough to get by. All they need to be able to discuss is luggage, rooms and keys, which they did very pleasantly, always with a smile. Don't forget how hard these guys work and how little money they get paid for it ... I wouldn't be smiling if I was in their shoes, that's for sure.

Our cases were tagged, and brought to our room within 30 minutes. During this time, we were taken to our room by another bell-boy (always smart in their starched white safari uniforms) who showed us the facilities. On his way out, I had to stop him to give him a tip ( I HATE it when they hang around EXPECTING a tip ... they never did this). This may be a personal thing (or maybe an English thing?!) but I tip whan I'm happy with the way I'm treated. I DON'T tip in order to get better service next time, which seems (to me) to be a peculiarly American thing).

The room was big, cold, well equipped, and with the biggest spa-bath that we've ever had in a Dominican hotel ... this all suggested that these guys were trying hard to impress. The bathroom was floor-to-ceiling marble and mirror, big enough for two, and with 'his-and-hers' basins. The cold water was cold, the hot water was (very) hot, and everything was cleaned every day(normally by lunch time). What more can you expect? Clean towels every day? Check. An extra bunch of clean towels when we called reception to ask for more? Check. The spa-bath was more than big enough for me (pretty big, see below!), and was powerful. Here's a tip ... take a pack of Milton baby-bottle sterilising tablets with you, fill the tub, and run them through the jets ... then you know that you're not sitting in the last guest's dirt!

We got the king-size bed that we requested a few days before arrival, which was big enough to make me feel like a munchkin (not easy for a 6 foot 3, 260 pound bloke). Make that a very COLD munchkin, as the electronically-controlled air-con worked a treat (controllable in half-degree steps from 'far-too-warm' to 'far-too-cold'). We had it set at 'far-too-cold' for the first day (I always like to open up the throttle on air-con to see what we're dealing with). Then I caught a head cold. This was GOOD air-con.

Electronic safe (free for the stay) was big and sturdy, cable TV (lots of Spanish channels, but hey, you're in a spanish-speaking country ... deal with it!). Rachel Ray and Regis became firm favourites of ours. You Americans get abc, CNN and the weather channel, so (again) that should keep you happy. If you want to watch cable for two weeks, stay home. The TV did its job (no 50 inch plasma, but hey). So did the fridge, coffee machine, iron, and the hair drier (my wife is fussy, but didn't complain once!). The ceiling fan was set to the 'suck' setting (there's a switch to set it to 'blow'), which made things even colder, and probably helped my head-cold to dig in. Our bedside lamps were troublesome for the first day (both crackling and popping), but a call to reception produced a maintenance guy (who brought along a security guard with him ... he'd no need to bring him along, my wife isn't THAT scary!), and fixed them both. One started to crackle again (a pain, but hey), so the maintenance guy came back and replaced the whole lamp and base. Can't ask for more ... everything breaks eventually, and in large hotels, there'll be a guest in the room when it happens. Our safe also failed (locking in my i-pod, which I can't survive without), so a techy guy in a safari suit came (within 20 minutes) and opened it (with a security guard watching him). It did the same thing again two days later, so the same team came to the room (again, within 20 minutes), and replaced a bunch of the electrical bits in the safe door, and no problems since.

An important point is that the floors in the room are fully tiled, and CAN be a little slippery if they're wet or sandy. The maid will get rid of the sand every day, so if you try to keep things dry, then you should be ok. Go to any beach resort and you'll face the same issue.

Outside, the view from the balcony was truly first class, and we were on the third floor, which meant a few stairs, but that was no problem. We were half way between the beach and the restaurant, both of which were maybe five minutes walk away. Again, this wan no problem, as the walk was through excellent grounds, which were really well maintained with the obligatory palms, flower-beds and water features. Lovely. There was an army of guys keeping things pretty, and they get to use nothing more than a mower and a machete!

If you're REALLY lazy, then you can get round the five minute walk using the tram, which buzzes between the pool and the restaurants all day. If you want a chauffeur driven limo, then may I politely suggest that go to Vegas. If you want a ride on a 'rough and ready' (but very cool!) tram, then the Dominican is for you ... these things are pretty common over there.

A nice touch to the grounds was the use of rock-shaped waterproof speakers along the side of the walkways ... these piped local music at you which was great, if a little eerie on the way back to the room after a shot or two of rum!

The beach was great ... the usual fine, white coral sand (and the odd cigarrette butt - will you guys either quit smoking or use an ash tray?!), warm water and a cordonned-off area to keep the water-sports boys out of your way. Loads of sunbeds, and loads of shade (you'll need it if you have Anglo-Saxon skin like mine). There were a few dozen Cabbanas to either side of the beach (wood and fabric sun-shades), which were reserved pretty quickly, but worth reserving. A few of these were trashed by Tropical Storm Fay (which hit hard for a day), but made good the next day. The watersports guys (all locals) worked hard, and gave free sessions in catamarans, wind-surfs (pretty good quality kit), kayaks and boogie-boards. There was a large climbing wall and bungee trampolines too, so I was a little worried about it being noisy, but no, it was quiet ... just as I like it. Whether you go to the beack or the pool, you'll get fresh beach towels every day.

The two pools (one for activities, one for peace and quiet) were scrubbed every morning, and weren't too heavily chlorinated. I ended up swallowing some of the water on a few occasions and didn't get sick ... bear in mind that I ALWAYS get sick, so that's another big gold star for cleanliness. Only one down-side ... take a tent peg or a thin metal pen with you, as you'll need something like this to make the sunshades around the pool stay up! We ended up using a couple of twigs. No problem. A few reviews have complained about missing tiles in the pools ... this is fair enough, a few patches of mosaics were missing. Firstly, they wouldn't be missing if it wasn't for the mindless idiots we saw PICKING them off (fools). Secondly, the only way to make good would be to drain the pool. I'd rather have a square foot of missing tile than no pool.

I've read criticisms of the food on this site. Are you kidding me? I hesitate before using such a blatantly American term, but the food was awesome! As I said before, I always get sick away from home, so I'm pretty fussy. The buffet restarant was huge (we never saw more than a quarter of the tables full), with a great selection. Great pizzas (and lots of variety), burgers (small, but made from ground steak), cheeses, cold meats, fries (for the less adventurous) and all manner of stuff for the more adventurous. Personally, I don't see why people need Champagne or caviar for breakfast, but if you want it, its there. Across the room was a spit-roast pig. Again, not to my taste, but others seemed to love it. Absolutely loads of other stuff to choose from. Bear in mind that not EVERYWHERE can have a Wendy's!

Even though the buffet was great, this was almost a reserve to be used when you didn't use the speciality restaurants. The American (burgers, huge steaks, fries), mexican (fajitas, nachos) and Italian tempted us most nights, but we didn't try the dominican.

Mike's Coffee shop was cool, with some of the best fresh-ground coffee I've ever tasted ... you just don't get stuff like that in the UK. The atmosphere was great too, quiet, cool and relaxing. Great choice of sweet snacks to go with your drink ... but you have to ask specifically for the cheese cake (which they keep hidden behind the counter!). Try it.

Great rooms? Check.
Great grounds? Yup.
Great beach and pools? Yeah.
Great food? You bet.

Would we go again? Did you READ what I just wrote? Course we would. In a heartbeat.

Try it.

You'll love it.

Here is the truth - your vacation is what you make of it! If you go expecting everything to be perfect all the time, you will surely be disappointed. If you go with a positive attitude and are there to enjoy yourselves and relax, you will NOT be disappointed!

We spent 12 nights at this resort during the last week of June and first week of July. There were 6 of us total; 2 in their 60's, 2 in their 30's and 2 pre-teen boys. It was simply the most relaxing vacation I have ever taken! The resort grounds are emaculate, the hotel rooms are better than average, the food was comparable to the Sandal's where we stayed in Jamaica.

As always, there are things that are not perfect... Yes, they don't all speak wonderful English, but my Spanish is not the best either. (Keep in mind you are visiting a Spanish-speaking country!) We NEVER felt that we could not communicate because of this language barrier though - they tried their best and we tried ours, and we communicated wonderfully. The buffets are not the best, especially after 12 days. The choice for the evening meal is second to none though for an all-inclusive resort. Buffets are buffets, folks! If you want to order from a menu for every meal, this is not the resort for you. Compared to other all-inclusive resorts though, it was NOT bad at all - just gets old after a while. The evening shows are entertaining, but not wonderful. The magic show was awesome though! I would NOT recommend going to Bavaro (local town) to go shopping for two reasons: the merchants are totally overwhelming, and you can find almost all of the same items just outside of the resort property at the beach.

The biggest complaint we had during our two week stay was that it was awfully hard to get drinks at the buffets when you wanted them - with your meal. By time you sat down and began to eat, it took WAY too long for the wait staff to bring water or a drink of any kind. This was only a problem at the buffets, not the restaurants. It could be EASILY solved if they just had a self-serve pop machine or water and coffee stations set up for guests and we gave them this feedback.

The highlights of our trip... the massages (Lucia is wonderful), the Mexican and Italian (especially the Italian) restaurants, Mike's Coffee, The Strike game room (for kids, not necessarily for adults), the incredible beach and ocean water, the nice warm pool that our children spent hours in everyday, the Kid's Club (which we only used for a total of 4 hours, but the kids had fun and the staff was great), the incredible grounds.

All in all, this was a fabulous resort to visit and I would highly recommend it to anyone who asked. It is a beautiful country, lovely beaches and pools (nice and warm, unlike other resorts that we have visited where you could not even use the swim-up bar!), vendor shops right off the hotel beach - you would never have to leave this hotel if you chose not to. It is wonderful! We would go back in a heartbeat!

Stayed at this hotel with some friends from Aug. 10 until Aug 18. My review is based upon 16 previous vacations to Punta Cana and comparisons to other hotels with similar TA rankings.

First, let me say that I can see why others have raved about this place. The concept is good with two large pools, a snack bar at the beach, a centrally located buffet, a restaurant row, and an active lobby bar with entertainment. It's the execution of the concept and lack of management presence, in my opinion, that is sorely lacking.
We all opted for Elite Club hoping for a higher standard of service. Don't waste your money.

The buildings and grounds are sterile and boring compared to other Punta Cana properties. This was, by far, the least attractive hotel that I have booked.

Check in was neither fast nor efficient even though we were the only two rooms checking in at the time. However, when we got our room cards, as if by magic, a young man appeared, to inform us that we had a 9:30AM appointment the following morning to confirm our transfers back to the airport. Obviously, it was a deceptive way to get you to go to a time share presentation. We politely declined, but he was very persistant. I know that everyone has a job to do, but couldn't the hotel give guests a moment to settle in before they start the high pressure sales pitch? Very annoying!

However, my attitude is to go with the flow, don't let the little things bother you, and enjoy a vacation in paradise. Right? ...If only.

It took an hour a half and several phone calls for our bags to arrive. I got a call a few minutes later informing me that there was a problem with our vouchers. I went back to reception only to be told that they were sorry, the vouchers were OK.

The second day the safe broke. A repairman came promptly and fixed it. The next day it broke again. After that, we didn't bother. The safe repairmen were very busy people. I saw them with their black briefcases everywhere and often. If only management could be as visable.

Our houskeepers were fantastic. They couln't do enough and had a wonderful spirit. We tipped them gladly and often. Thank goodness for houskeeping because.......

It was raining one night so we decided to order room service. When I completed the order, I asked for two beers. I was informed that the only way to get beer was to go to a bar and get it yourself. I explained that it was raining and I didn't feel like going to a bar. We were in villa 6, the farthest from any bar. I was told, "Sorry, that's hotel policy" Huh? I paid for elite club which includes 24 hour room service and I couldn't get a beer brought to my room. The maid was kind enough to give us a few extra beers.

My friend went to the beach for towels on Monday and was informed that there would be no towels until Tuesday. Not a big deal, but after a while the little things add up.

My friend's room was freezing. My room, in the same building was a sauna. After three days of trying to get it fixed, we were offered another room.

The buffet restaurant for us was a glorified cafeteria. The service was hit or miss. The food was mediocre at best, and I felt queasy for a few hours after every meal there.


We had one good meal and one bad one at the Italian restaurant and an average dinner at Route 66. The a la carte restaurants are small and usually crowded. It was the opinion of everyone in my party that this design is to encourage guests to eat at the buffet which is cheaper for the hotel. The special dinner, on the beach, which is a perk of the elite club, was forgettable. Fortunately, we had a car and were able to take meals outside of the property.

We wanted to play golf at White Sands, but one look at the golf course and it was obvious that it was not well maintained. We played a Cocotal instead.

There is no single thing that I can point to that made this hotel so bad, but rather an overwhelming amount of little things that can be easily managed. A note to management: The hospitality business doesn't run on automatic pilot. Get out from behind your desks and do a little supervising....especially in the restaurants.

I purposly waited a week to write this review to avoid shooting from the hip. Even after a week, my feeling is that I would not go back even if they paid me. However, one bad experience does not change my love for traveling to Punta Cana. I will be back in November....just not at Ocean Blah.

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.