Occidental Punta Cana

We were disappointed by the food, which was average and often seemed worse than what we've had at three-star hotels. The pool loungers were another frustration: guests claimed them with towels early in the morning, sometimes not showing up until after 3:00 PM, and staff did nothing about it. I even had to wait on the grass one day. There were too few towels from housekeeping most days, and one day we got none. It was hard to explain the problem because few staff members spoke English. Even with daily tips of $5 or $10, we never got extra small towels. The hotel was clean, looked decent, and had friendly staff, but those positives didn't make it feel like a five-star place. It lost water for half a day yesterday, and the shared restrooms were understandably in poor shape afterward. In other parts of the world, five stars means a much higher level of service. I'd give this place three stars, or four only if I were being very generous.

We had a great time, and all five kids under eight loved the trip. At the main buffet, Sasa made the kids smile every morning with fried eggs and omelettes, so breakfast became something they looked forward to. The food choices were good, too. Yeraldine from the First Club was wonderful with the kids, taking her time to make them all kinds of great virgin drinks and giving us first-class service. We'd happily come back.

The buffet food was pretty good, but it was always cold or lukewarm. Our room was spacious, and the beds and pillows were comfortable. The shower drained so slowly that I was standing in a little puddle, an issue I later saw mentioned in other reviews. There was also a trail of red ants from the front door to a tiny hole behind the TV. We were focused on enjoying our short stay and didn't want to spend the day raising complaints with management. The Royal Level's private restaurant was available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner without reservations. There are also four or five specialty restaurants open to everyone, including Oriental, Mexican, Seafood, and steakhouse options, but reservations have to be made at the office between 8am and 4pm. I arrived Monday at 5pm, so the earliest I could book was Tuesday morning. They said everything was full for the rest of my stay except the Mexican restaurant on the last night. That seemed ridiculous for a four-day visit. When my wife and I showed up, they couldn't find my name on the list. The man at the Royal office was nice and made several calls, but we got passed around for an hour before they finally fit us in. The restaurant had several empty tables when we sat down around 7pm, so it didn't seem busy. Royal Level is the hotel's VIP area. The rooms are steps from the beach, and guests have a private beach section and bar with premium alcohol included. The tradeoff is the roughly 10-minute walk to the front of the property for the buffet, restaurants, night activities, and gym. You can call a golf cart, though it may take 5-10 minutes to arrive. The hotel itself was nice and the beach was very clean, but I wouldn't stay here again if I return to Punta Cana.

There was plenty to do around the resort, including a little disco or club at night for dancing. The place itself was beautiful, and the beach was kept clean and looked lovely. The staff were amazing and very generous.