I read other reviews… some praising the place… some pointing out the problems… to be honest… in a way… both are true. I guess it depends on what you expect and not get… some bad things you do expect and then you get pleasantly surprised… and others again… might be a real problem… Nevertheless… darlings… do remember… this is the DR and it would be unfair to expect the hotel standards of USA or Europe… especially… for this kind of price. ☺ ☺ ☺
Here… my experience:
I had two 1 week stays in two months. First with family, great rooms and great service, second with friends… troublesome rooms and slightly less efficient, nevertheless fair assistance/service. This resort, however, does stand out for the abundance of intelligent staff people. Whoever is choosing the staff has a very good common sense and obviously extent experience in the hotelier business and the managers do have an amazingly good grip on the staff. Congratulations to all. ☺
Of course not all was a “bed of roses” and there is always space for the staff “personality” factor… At times some “assistants” would treat us as “royalties” putting us on VIP list… while others would “bare” with us… others again would be giving the priority to the loud and rude (but abundantly tipping) Russians… Most of them… however… would keep a watchful eye on our needs... without disturbing. The general feel was that there was always someone there, when you needed anything… ready to help out. At times… a puzzled look was enough.
Lovely.
Hotel is basically divided in 3 sections:
Standard rooms, Priviledged rooms and Royal section. For a 5* European Metropolitan standard none is really expensive… it is just up to you what manner of holiday you are actually in for… not so much on how much you are willing to spend. If you are fussy about people drinking, smoking and dancing… get the ROYAL (very quiet) side. Originally our intention was to upgrade from Privileged to Royal once we got there… for the sake of services and extra amenities… but I am glad we gave it a peek before upgrading. Villas with own private pool are tastefully set… delicious… but the ones eventually available at that time, were much further from what we already had (sea view rooms)… Royal also has part of the beach reserved… (but really just about anyone can walk in… so no point). Secluded quiet pool has lovely padded loungers… a delight… but I barely ever use a lounger… hence… no point there either. This side of the resort is brilliant for whoever wants a time “away” from everyone and wants to spend most of the time in his own room far from people and noise in a very reticent, semi-formal environment or perhaps for the elderly persons appreciating the extra services this side offers. We instead were in for…yes… somewhat comfortable suites-type rooms but since “the black-tie” situations are our “daily bread” back home… in for some genial confusion… and mainly relaxed… “swimming suit all day (AND perchance the night also!)”… type of environment… so we chose not to stay here.
However, upgrades rank from 120 to 500 USD… per person/villa per day… so as I said… affordable to all.

Get the Privileged if you need little extra attention. I said little… since there is not much of a difference between Standard and Privileged anyway… unless you get the beach view room… then it is worth it… and separate (most of the time very efficient) check-in/out area and dedicated concierge desk (not when it is raining! ☺) All there speak fluent English… (it happens you hit on the apprentice… just like anywhere else)… with a little buffet type of refreshment corner. It always had drinks… often ice turned into puddle… but usually it was there… at least in the mornings and such was the faith of the snacks… and sweets. (I think I found them… twice). However… it was a lovely glass-refill pit-stop on the way to the well equipped shopping mall… or the SPA…
With this type of room you get the walk-in entry cards for the speciality restaurants without previous booking… but I discovered later that basically everyone had this… regardless. You do get the best part of the beach restaurant separate section with this kind of room…(opened breakfast and lunch only)… which is worth the while… but the selection of food here is limited. Tables are all with fantastic view of the beach with the palm trees… Delightful… with delightful staff. One day when I could not decide what to eat… one of the chefs prepared a “special” pasta… nothing really special about it… but I felt pampered… At times it takes so little… does it not? Well… here you get plenty of this… or at least… I did. ☺
Privileged also offers the cart service from the lobby to your “far away” room… (and the other way around) available most of the time… so if you do not feel like walking… there is the solution. They also rent bikes… but have seen only the staff riding them…
If you are a “party animal” and spend little or no time in your room then it is very convenient to get the Standard room! Same size and the same size balcony as privileged (only the decorations are different colour)… but in a more central position… close to all the booze… and happening, restaurants/lobby bar/show area/disco/and pool bar… cannot miss there!
A small bottle of rum is awaiting you in all rooms… fridge is diligently stocked daily (at least mine was!)… and as the cleaning lady understood that all of my party nightly gathered on my balcony for a drink before the dinner… unasked she kindly provided my room with extra glasses. Really thoughtful and sweet.
Yes… on both of my stays we had to chase after our fresh beach towels… hardly ever succeeding… likewise the promised bathrobes that we have never seen in our rooms… We just did not bother… the clean towels for showers were always there. Hence… ☺ ☺ ☺
Bracelets distinguishing all the AI in the Caribbean are here organised by nationality… or so it seemed… except for the Privileged and Royal.
No booze before 10AM and only beer after 2AM. Pool bar has snacks and beer all night… but they tend to run out of some things right after the Disco closes at 2AM… you can, however, always find something in order to “survive” until breakfast… which is then from 6AM served at the main restaurant or the restaurant between beach and the pool… Food at the main buffet restaurant is always plentiful… tasty and the choice is so varied at all meals that the chance of not finding something to your pleasing… is... well… impossible! Besides… if you ever had a Dominican friend prepare a meal for you… then you will know that Dominican dishes at this resort come the closest to the “original” which to me is sheer poetry. ☺
Beach is ok… We must have been there right in the period of “cleaning of the sea” so basically water looked a little “dirty” where it touches the shore and to get to the “clean” part you had to swim trough the cloud of algae… Being used to the crystal clear Caribbean waters… I refrained from going in. Tried to take a walk both sides… This resort is quite isolated so I expected some lovely wild beaches… only to find… that one direction is piled with garbage… and the other end, where the ever so lovely palmetto is… the sea basically becomes a swamp. Have seen several guest walking beyond the swampy part… obviously it clears after… but I myself did not venture. However… the part of the beach that belongs to the resort gets meticulously cleaned daily. I… nevertheless… preferred renting a helicopter and was flying out to Saona island. Nothing beats Saona sunsets and the afternoons on the deserted beaches… especially comfortably arriving after all the excursionists left… ☺ Divine.
Pool has activities and music all day… so ask for your room accordingly. I would not suggest pool-facing room for the families whose children take afternoon naps in the room… nor for to the adults that do so. ☺ The pool is also a central “party point” for the Russians. While fully respecting the diversity of cultures and habits… I am also absolutely convinced that a behaviour area called the “middle zone” must exist… where we (non Russians) understand their freedom, habits and their “party style”… but where they also respect the rest of us… non Russian guests… and our freedom to actually enjoy our own holidays… our own way. We often had to undergo their rude ways in… restaurants… bars… etc. Especially evenings… my lady-friends and myself… how to say this politely(?)… were “insistently courted”… (probably by the crew that was partying at the pool all day… otherwise… at least I hope… they would have noticed that we were a closed party!) However… thanks to the male members of our party… we were able to deal with it… until one evening the male part of our party was missing… so we girls tried to deal with it… but it eventually got so bad that the security had to intervene to get the rum-struck Russian out of my hair. I heartily thank and congratulate the hotel management for the excellent security service… always present and on the watch…
Let me stress here that certainly not all the Russians are this way… we have met some wonderful persons along the path… majority, nevertheless, sadly is. So allow me to make a small suggestion: how about printing a small booklet/pamphlet in Russian about manners containing some basic social behaviour suggestions in the “common areas”… of the hotel… and deliver it together with the invitation to the Casino or the SPA… at the check-in.
Time ago there was the need for the basic guidelines of the “dress code” for dinner restaurants… (that some other nations needed to learn!)… I have seen such signs all around the resort. Now we just might need the signs with “behaviour code” for others. Don’t you think so?
The ones that behave will probably smile at the suggestion to say “please” and “thank you”… but others will be warned in advance… should they after need be reprimanded… say… for elbowing their way trough the Q at the restaurant (it happened… well… the elbowing … not the reprimand!) or they might finally get informed that the “cave man” manners of grabbing the female by the hair to drag her his way… got a bit out of fashion nowadays… and for quite some centuries… it has been replaced by simple verbal requests like: “excuse me”… when you need to pass… and “would you like to dance?” and definitely they need be informed that a “No, thank you” is not an invitation to insistence… but it means “NO”. Full stop.
Thankfully this general Russian-rush… was here… in this hotel… much less felt then in many others… nevertheless… at times… it does quench own freedom to enjoy own time... Especially… if you are a woman.
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Well… just a suggestion… not only for this resort… In general.

The nightly shows were quite spectacular… although I did not follow them closely… however, my Dominican friends that were visiting us on several evenings (night pass AI from 8PM until 2AM was 55USD per person… I believe…)
were quite enthusiastic… so was the rest of my party. The after show live-music dance in the lobby bar was lovely… the band was fantastic. I believe the Royal side has a much calmer piano-bar style music every night… but we liked the “merengue party corner” with some cha-cha and rumba thrown in occasionally. ☺ ☺ ☺

Disco is a spartan “club” stile… with some wooden benches around the dance-floor and some stand-tables (without the seats)… Since there was a very efficient bar operating in the disco I found this choice of decoration a very wise and hygienic choice… there was (party-effect!) plenty of spilling and wet floor… that was constantly and diligently taken care of by the cleaning lady… Have never seen such constant attending to a club… with such devotion and care.
Some days there was nothing but house music… some days hours of merengue… some days there was a song or two of the dance music that was slightly familiar… other days sole dance music… in overall I believe the music depended greatly on the DJ and the type of audience. Sometimes both was true… only that it was disengaged. ☺ As the ambience reminded us more of a gym then a club… we used it as our daily (great fun!) gym… and we all… lost weight… ☺ ☺ ☺
SPA is good… clean and well organised… products are average… nevertheless… my aching shoulder was looked after and soothed by the girl’s care and special attention. She pampered me with hot cloth applications until the pain attenuated. I was so thankful.
Got my hair braided there… job well done… The two girls doing the job said: “Don’t worry… you are in the hands of professionals”. True. ☺
There is also a Casino… but can only tell you that is small and kind of cosy… and that some members of our party lost money there… but that is as far as I can get with this issue. Sorry.
Due to the isolated position… and lush vegetation surrounding resort… there are plenty of mosquitoes… so bring the strongest possible protection for children and sensitive adults. You will need it all.
I needed medical help… which is good and present 24/7… but remember… it is not “your” doctor… hence, bring your own medicines if you have a health condition… in addition to your “standard” travel-kit medicines (pain killers that you know well… antibiotics… etc).
In overall? Well… here you get one entire week of a real “all inclusive” and above average service for a price of one night with breakfast in a 5* “club room” of your (metropolitan) hometown.
Travel… but do know where you are going. Bare in mind that some employees here earn in entire month less then you spend one night on your bottle of wine…
Do stay at this lovely resort… and if you do not look too closely at couple of small black spots surrounded by a perfectly healthy… shiny and tasty apple… (or mango in this case☺)… you will be happy here.