Senator Puerto Plata - All inclusive

The food is great, with lots of choices at the buffet, plus a Little Cafe and pizzeria. Service and entertainment were also great. Shout out to Domingo at the sports bar and Jhonny on the entertainment team, who made our days and evenings fun. There’s no disco, but they play music near the theatre until 12pm for anyone who wants to dance. The resort and pools are nice. Some rooms have been renovated and look good; others are a bit dated but still nice. The beach is a little rocky, though it gets really nice farther down.

Christopher, Lopez, and cristileidy were fantastic bartenders. They were incredibly attentive and friendly, greeting us warmly and giving us their full attention whenever they saw us. Even when busy, they made sure to say hello and welcome us, which made us feel important. Best service we’ve had on vacation. Junior, or “Mr. Solution,” was our go-to for anything we needed, from dinner reservations to questions, and he always made us a priority. The ocean bar food was incredible. If you want tropical eats, try the coconut fish or mahi mahi. The specialty restaurants were delicious and full of flavour too. The buffet fruit and island food were good, at least the things we tried. Our room was clean and the staff kept everything stocked and taken care of. The AC ran cold. The hot water was never really hot, but warm water was a nice break from the heat anyway.

The staff were professional and friendly, and many made really good drinks. We only had one wrong order from the snack bar. The pools were clean, but chairs fill up fast, so get there early. The beach was nice and clean too, and the groundskeepers and housekeeping staff were always cleaning. The resort had its good and bad points. Our room in building 13, number 1301, was sadly dated and needed repairs. Paint was peeling off the tub, there was rust, and the walls and ceiling had a lot of mould. Water filled the tub while we showered and wouldn’t drain. On our last night there was no hot water. The AC didn’t work at all. Someone came to look at it after we told the front desk, but it just hissed constantly and still didn’t cool the room. There was no screen door for the patio or fan in the room, so it got very humid at night. Heavy rain flooded the room twice, and we had to put towels under the door. I’d come back because the staff were wonderful, but I’d pay a little more to book an updated room.

The resort itself was a pleasant surprise, with plenty to do around the pool, bars, evening shows and excursions. The town is only a 10-15 minute bus ride away, and the staff were friendly. We also loved the food and beaches, though you can't go very far out into the water. The nightly entertainment had lots of variety, and one night was hilarious. The big disappointment was the timeshare presentation. It took our whole day, and we felt badly misled about what we'd get. We bought a bronze package, then found extra fees in the fine print. Those charges were in USD per person, even though we were told verbally they were per room per night, a huge difference. We're still trying to get our deposit fully refunded.