Occidental Caribe - All Inclusive

We spent five days here, and guest services managed to get us a dinner reservation every night even though our booking only included two restaurants. They were cheerful whenever I came by and helped with my requests. Check-in itself was quick, though a long line can mean a wait. I'd go to guest services right after arriving, make a friend, and get help sorting out the stay. The resort is a bit dated, including the rooms, but it seems well maintained and organized. It isn't a Fairmont, Conrad, or Shangri-la, just a vacation resort. The views are great, and the beach is picture perfect. We booked a beach dinner for my girlfriend's birthday, which was wonderful, and the cake cost $10 and was great too. Staff were polite and tried to help, even when some didn't understand or speak English. Google Translate or learning a few basic words might help, since I noticed most vacationers were from South American countries. The bar got slower and sometimes had lines at night, when it was busiest. At the restaurants, you can order multiple servings during the set course, so ask for more if you're still hungry. There's music and entertainment going on all the time, and it can get loud, but it was fine for us since the music stopped after 11 pm. For an excursion, I recommend Alfredo with nexus tours. His hours are 10 am to 2 pm, and he was a great guy who helped us book a catamaran trip to Saona Island. A great vacation overall.

The entertainment crew were excellent, and everyone from housekeeping to food service took good care of us and made sure we had what we needed. Special thanks to Katherine de la Cruz, Damaris Vasquez, David Santana, Maria Mota, and especially Lulu. They're amazing and never stop working. I hope guests appreciate how hard the employees work to keep the place safe and clean. It was upsetting to see some people act rudely and without manners, leaving garbage anywhere and being disrespectful to workers. There are enough trash bins for guests to use. All inclusive doesn't mean adults need to be babysat. I love the place and the island people, and I respect them. I'll keep coming back.

The beach is beautiful and clean, with warm, crystal clear water, and the staff are very kind. The rooms were clean, and the food and drinks were great, better than the Hilton in the States in my opinion. It's not the Sheraton, but that wasn't a problem for us. The balcony view was... [the original review ends mid-thought here]. What really soured the stay happened the day before we left. We bought souvenirs at a shop and were told to pay at the front desk. When we got there, it turned out someone at the shop had already charged us. After an hour and a half, they said it was all settled. I asked for confirmation, but the next day, just as we were boarding the airport bus, they said I had to pay again. I was furious and insisted I wouldn't pay. They eventually agreed I didn't have to. The man at the front desk, supposedly a manager, was rude and unprofessional. Without that incident, I would have given the hotel five stars.

The beach was amazing, but that's about the only good thing I can say. The food was completely inedible, even though I'm not a picky eater and neither were the people I was with. Bread was the only thing I could manage, and even that tasted bad. On just one of our five nights, they had something like chicken tenders. They had bright neon blue stripes through the chicken and nearly made me throw up. Somehow even the tortilla chips tasted wrong. Everything else seemed to taste like corn, as if the place had never discovered seasoning. I can't say how the other restaurants were. At 7 in the morning the next day, we tried to make a reservation and were told everything was booked for the week. I felt close to starving and wanted to go home every day. The room was disgusting, the beds weren't made by room service on several days, and all the lights would randomly go out. I'm easy to please on vacation, but I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone I know. Be warned.