I have just returned from a weeks stay at the Gran Ventana and I had an amazing time! After religiously checking Trip Advisor before I went I thought I would let other people know how I found it!

The country itself is beautiful! It's very green and has beautiful views! I would recommend going on at least one excursion so that you can see them! As beautiful as the hotel is you dont get a real idea of what the island is like. We did the jeep safari where you can see a traditional countryside house, a fruit plantation, school, rum shack and swim in a lake and finish the day boogie boarding! Its lots of fun!

The hotel is great. We stayed in the Saona building and had a lovely view of the wedding pavilion and the sea! This was great as there was almost a wedding everyday of our stay which we could see from the balcony. There are some building works going on at the hotel but nothing that will disrupt your stay. It is all hidden and there isnt much noise or mess.

The food is lovely in the buffet restaurants and the a la carte restaurants. There is lots of choice and always something worth trying whatever mood you are in. We went the Ocean Grill and the Italian both of which were lovely. My favourite was the ocean grill because of the sea view and the sea breeze as well as the scrummy food. It's also handy to know that all of the fruit and salad is washed in purified water so it is completely safe to eat. We also ate one night at Hemmingways on the Plaza which was very nice and had MASSIVE portions!

Credit has to be given to the hotel staff, particularly the cleaners. There is always somebody cleaning! Whether they are cleaning the sunbeds, the rooms, or sweeping the floor the staff work very hard. The maids are there all day in the rooms and also cleaning the toilets, foyer and bar areas. They pick flowers in a morning and put them in their hair and then leave them as decorations in your room. At night there were at least three people sweeping the floor in the entertainment area. Some people previously mentioned cockroaches but we didnt see anything all week. We expected some insects, even cockroaches, due to the climate, but the place is so clean that there really is none! One morning we got up early to watch the sunrise from the beach and at half past 6 there were people cleaning the pool and the pool area!

The beach is also very clean! there are some weeds and sea weed in the water but this is due to the coral so close to the beach. But this is great if you want to snorkel and see the tropical fish. There are a lot of beach sellers who are there everyday of the week but if you say no thanks they will generally move on. However, some of the things you may be interested in buying, after all the people are only doing their job.

The entertainment is probably the weakest point of the hotel. The animation team work long days and are definately enthusiastic! Their latinos dance at 3pm by the pool was the highlight of my days!! The live music show was probably the best in the evening! but the others are ok if you take them light heartedly. The team try their best and if the audience participate it can be a bit of a laugh.

The cocktails definately have to be tried at the bars! My favourite bar was the swim up bar! It really is as good as it looks! but be careful how many cocktails you have with the 151 rum!

Overall if you're looking for a peaceful, relaxing holiday in a beautiful country then this hotel is definately worth staying in! I really dont think that there are any complaints! overall it was a fantastic holiday! I just wish I was still there!

great hotel. had doubts after i received a letter from thomas cook telling me about building work going on. yes there is but you will never notice it.
food was great esp the a la carte restuarants
choice in buffet was massive and changed every day
entertain was at times cheesy but was professional and well organised tho sometimes not to my taste but you cant please everyone all the time.
facilties were also excellent, things to do all the time if you want to be active during your stay
very clean rooms and spacious too
i would have no dounts about going back to this hotel again

I have been to the Gran Ventana in 2006 and in Nov. 2007 and am planning to return in Dec. 2008. We had a great time and never got sick. We have been to different locations in the Dominican Republic as well as Cuba and all locations never had enclosed eating areas and this was never a issue, as for the rocks in the water all you have to do is wear water shoes if need be but it never bothered us at all. Keep in mind that it makes it a great location to snorkel.
I found the food to be absolutely great and the variety was awsome.
I can't wait to return.

Vern

We stayed at Gran Ventana for 2 weeks from 5th May 08, and had a wonderfully relaxing time. I'll break down the review a bit:

ARRIVAL

We went through Thomson and the transfer from the airport was as smooth as could be - nice air-conditioned coach. On arrival at the GV itself the baggage handler (not a GV member of staff) was really rude/aggressive and pretty much demanded tips from everyone. i would suggest you DO NOT give him anything. People who demand tips simply don't deserve them in my opinion. That aside - we were given a nice fruity cocktail as we waited briefly to be checked in.
Initially we were given a room in Beta, but we requested a room in Saona and we were immediately given one. We ended up in a lovely room, overlooking the welding gazebo, with a sea view.

THE ROOM

It's very hard to criticise the room in any kind of way. The beds were big and comfortable - we always slept like logs. The rooms were also kept spotlessly clean every day. There are reviews on this site talking about cockroachies and other kinds of bugs, but i promise you we never saw a single one! The bathroom was of a high quality in every possible way.
The ONLY negative point i can make about the room is the stupid design of the bottle-opener fixed to the wall. What's that about?!?!?!? No wonder there are beer stains on the wall!!!!

THE FOOD.....

.....is AMAZING!! yeah, sure, a few birds fly in and out to try their luck at getting a bit of fruit once in a while, but what's the harm in that? honestly?
Breakfast is just the best. If you are of a fruity persuasion there's no shortage of watermelon, papaya, pineapple, passion fruit, plus all the usual stuff. There is a wide variety of bread rolls and cereals (although I didn't try them), as well as fresh smoothies, waffles and pancakes. If you want a full breakfast, you can help yourseld to all the ingredients. The GV version of baked beans leaves a bit to be desired, as does the hash browns, but the rest is perfect. I don't see the point of putting out southern-fried chicken, etc, at breakfast time, but each to their own! The omelettes are great. You just fill a little bowl with the ingredients you want for your omelette and hand it to the man behind the counter who will make you something truly gorgeous. My keyboard is getting soggy right now as I drool onto it! You get slight variations in the buffet food every day, and when something different/unusual gets put out it's best to try it out as you may not see it again. During a 2 week stay they only put salisbury steak out for breakfast once, which is a shame. I dare you not to become addicted to the little crispy strips of bacon.

Lunch was a tiny bit boring if i'm being honest. The beach cafe/restaurant thing was closed for refurbishment, so there was a tent on the beach serving drinks, hot-dogs and salad. Back in the buffet, there was just the usual stuff that you get in the evenings, plus sausages/burgers on the grill.

The evening meal was brilliant 95% of the time. On the odd occasion they put out lots of sea-food meals and weird concoctions. The sea-food was NOT great, so i'll be avoiding it totally next time we go. It was all too overpowering a flavour and either as tough as rubber bands or too full of bones to be enjoyable. Every non-aquatic foodstuff was amazing though - lamb, chicken, turkey, suckling pig - carved in front of you. On different nights there were fajitas, langoustines, paella, British Pie (what the hell is that?!?), etc, etc. There was always pasta, rice, chips and 5 or 6 kinds of veg.

Out of the various a la carte restaurants we only went to Octopus. We visited it 3 times during our stay, and it was lovely each time. However, the heat in there was stifling. I was sweating like a stuck pig whenever i left the place, as the air-con was feeble to say the least. I would recommend Mofongo (pork stew in baked plantain 'baskets')and the Garlic shrimp for starters, and for main course Mango Chicken, Farmer style steak, Chicken Curry and Curried Goat. Desserts were a bit dull in comparison - however the flan was nice.

IN GENRAL

We took factor 15 sun-cream with us, but it was NOWHERE near strong enough for the Dominican sun! We were stupid! One of us - i won't name names - burnt her shoulder very badly, and you can still see the damage now, months later. Next time we'll be taking factor 30plus.
The main pool is brilliant, but it can get a bit rowdy in the afternoon when they start the water-polo up. Most people seemed to like the Animation Team, but i could not stand them. They were cocky, rude and full of themselves, in m y opinion. However, if you keep your distance they will leave you alone.
The pool bar was a real treat. Beer was good, and it's luxurious to be able to work your way down the cocktail list! Sombrero's were nice to try, as wer Banana Mama's (ask them not to put the rum in, if you value your throat!).

We are booked to go back in May 09. Can't wait!