We just got back yesterday from our one week stay at the Punta Cana Princess. Had a wonderfull trip and would defintely return. The aults only aspect was a big selling point for us. This was our first time in an all-inclusive resort, and I think that we have set the bar quite high for future trips. We had booked the trip with Transat Holidays on-line, back in January.

The Flight: Booked the club class seats with Transat and did not regret it one bit. It was an extra $400 for the round trip for 2 people but the separate check-in and the slightly larger seat on the flight was well worth it. There were three flights checking in that morning in Montreal and we had only 4 people in front of us in the "club" check-in line. The regular line had close to 250 people waiting. The flight itself was comfortable and the service was good.

At Punta Cana Airprot: The ground crew were a little slow to bring the air-stairs up to the aircraft, but we finally got off and walked down the tarmac to the terminal. On the way inside, your picture is taken with a couple of women dressed in carribean attire, this photo will be available for purchase on your departure. Then you hand in your tourist card ( received on the airplane), get your passport stamped and wait for the luggage. There are people there in yellow golf shirts with dollies calling out your airline, but alll they want to do is carry you bags for you. The tour rep counter is just off to the right, about 20 paces, which is where you need to go.

After reading other reviews on TA, we opted to use Dominican Airport Transfers (private transportation) instead of taking the free bus. The cost was $80US for the round trip, and was booked in advance on their web site. Our very friendly driver, Manuel, was waiting for us at the terminal exit with a sign, and off we went. We arrived at the resort and were checked-in by 12:20, while those who took the bus didn't show up until 2:30.

Check-in: We had paid for a regency club suite with ocean view, which meant that we were supposed to be in building 5, closest to the beach. So I was a little surprised when the clerk gave us a room in building 4. I told him that we wanted what we paid for, but he said he didn't have any rooms in building 5 yet, and that we would be moved the next day. Since the rooms were still being cleaned at 12:00, he told us to go have lunch and that our room would then be ready. I guess the clerk realized that I was disapointed, because on our return, he put is in a honeymoon suite in building 4 for the night.

Day 2: Were moved to building 5 as promissed, had room 5114, second floor, second balcony from the beach. Absolutely wonderfull! I actually preferred this room to the honeymoon suite. It seemed newer and cleaner. I guess the all-white theme is difficult to keep clean in the honeymoon suites.

The Food: We mostly enjoyed the food. But everyone's tastes are so different that we heard mixed opinions from our fellow guests. 1 Main buffet and 4 a la cartes to choose from for dinner, unlimited use and no reservations required. The service in all the restaurants was excellent, and we never waited more than 2 minutes to be seated. Though we did see a line-up outside the fondue place one nightand decided to go elsewhere. We did enjoy the main buffet for breakfast and lunch, but didn't care for it at dinner. The main buffet has a different theme every night, whereas the a la cartes have fixed menus: Italian, Tex-Mex, Fondue and Sea Food. The Sea Food restaurant also doubles as a 24 hr snack bar, lunch and breakfast buffet outside of dinner hours.

The Bars: 4 Bars on the resort + drink service in the restaurants and on the beach. Never a problem getting something to drink. Never had to wait, never had to walk far to get one. We found it was easier to walk up and get our own drinks from the beach, as the beach bar tender was kept quite busy. Didn't use our travel mugs much, except when we wanted beer instead of a cocktail. I drink beer slower than those fruity frozen things and like it to stay cold. We found the domestic alcohol acceptable for cocktails but preferred the brand name stuff on it's own. No trouble getting the brand names at the lobby bar.

The Entertainment: If you are looking for a place to have a wild party, this is not the place for you. During the day, the animation team is arround, organizing all kinds of activities, but after dinner, only a few events in the lobby. Most nights during our stay, they hung arround the lobby and offered to take us next door to the theater at the sister resort for a show. We opted to stay in the lobby and chat it up with the other guests. There are also shuttles to the casino and the disco nearby, if you want it.

The Grounds: Immaculate, always clean. Beach was raked twice a day. Chairs and beds were cleaned and re-organized every night. Our only complaint here would be the towel game. Although the resort has posted signs telling guests that their stuff can be moved after 30 minutes if they aren't arround their chairs, we didn't really see it enforced. If you want a good spot anywhere on this resort, you need to claim it arround 06:00. We saw people scurrying like rats down to the beach at 05:30, in the dark, going to claim their spots. It was a funny to watch this happen one morning, during a down-pour. People spreading out their towels in a puddle. We did not appreciate that some people would claim a spot early, and not return until 11:00 or 12:00. They had no respect for their fellow guests. But we were told that this happens at every resort, and it certainly isn't the resort's fault if some of their guests are inconsidereate towards others. We did not let this bother us, and always ended up finding somewhere to sit.

Overall, we had a wonderfull relaxing trip, found this to be the perfect place to disconnect from the world back home and met some great people during our stay.

My husband and I just returned April 11/08 from a glorious week at the Punta Cana Princess. This resort is amazing, we have absolutely nothing negative to say about it. I won't go into detail as the other reviews have pretty much covered everything. The resort is beautiful, well maintained, impeccable grounds. The beach is awesome, white sand, turqoise water.
Everything is very clean, the pool deck is scrubbed every morning. Our room was always cleaned well everyday.
The food was great in all the restaurants. The staff at all restaurants and bars were great, especially at the Mare Nostrum, which serves breakfast and lunch and then turns into the seafood restaurant at night. Would highly recommend this restaurant for a nice seafood dinner. We can't say enough about it. We religiously checked the reviews before we booked our vacation and even afterwards, and all that was said in the positive reviews is 110% true. It's a great resort to go to if you want to relax and unwind. There is not a lot of partying going on, you can get that at the Caribe and Tropical Princess next door to this resort.
We found that people liked to get up really early, 6:00a.m., and reserve the palapas around the pool and the beach so.....if you're an early bird, we would highly recommend doing this, if not, chances are you will still find chairs or a bed.
Bring mosquito repellant as there are quite a few in the lobby which is where the nightly entertainment takes place and people congregate at night to chat and have a few drinks. Ask for Emilio at the lobby bar, he will treat you well.
Check it out for yourselves, you won't be disappointed. We would definetly go back to this resort.

Thought it was about time that I wrote my review on our two week stay at the Punta Cana Princess on March 16-30th.
One word would describe it all.... Fantastic!!!
I will try and not duplicate other reviewers highlites and add a few of my own. However, this was our best trip ever and the staff of the PCP made it all possible.

Check IN

First let me start by saying that check in at the hotel was fast, friendly and was given a pink sweet welcome drink. After given the keys for main floor Block 3 and waiting for our luggage, we were settled in. Although the we did not get Building 5 like we asked, we did ask to be moved to another Block and was told to see Julio the next day. After a quick look, he was able to move us to Building 4, 3rd floor the next day. What a great room. 3rd floor rooms have vaulted ceilings and added to the overall size. Some people complained about the noise when it rained, but we thought it was soothing.

Layout

There are 5 Buildings with 3 floors with about 24 rooms on each floor. Buildings 1 & 2 are closer to the front desk area on the right hand side while bulidings 3,4 & 5 are on the left with Building 3 close to the buffet restaurant and Building 5 closest to the beach. We ended in Building 4 witha pool side view and a partial ocean view. We thought it was the best location, sort of in the middle of the complex.
The Petite Fondue restaurant is across from the pool and the Mare Nostrum is beside it by the beach. The Rio Grande Tex Mex, Il Bacio (Italian) and the Casabe (buffet) are by the front lobby area. There are stores, medical centre and ATM located to the right of the lobby just before Building 2.
The pool is at the end of the property just before the beach and Building 4 & 5 overlook it.

Rooms
We had two queen beds, which we liked because it gave us the extra room to lay out clothes and the maids made nice "silouet" figures with pyjama's. The two double sinks in the bathroom was a nice touch. We had a lot of room for our toiletries. Just a note though... Facecloths were hit and miss, so you should bring your own from home. The sunken living room where the TV and mini bar is, was a nice touch. From there, you have access to the balcony. The bathrooms are big and clean. No problems there. We had a problem with the shower and it was repaired the next day once we reported it.
The turn down service was also a nice touch. Just a hint, don't leave the "Do Not Disturb" sign on your door when you leave for dinner. They don't come in to do turn down service. Duggghh

Food

My wife is the most picky eater alive. She's that way because of the many medical problems she has. Well I must say she ate more here than she eats at home. We found the food was full of flavour and portions were just right. We ate at all the ala cartes except the Le Petite Fondue. My wife cannot eat fried foods.
The Tex Mex restaurant and the Mare Nostrum were our favourites. The filet and beef at the Tex Mex was some of the best meat we've eaten. Very tender and flavourful. The lobster at the Mare Nostrum was fantastic and would give Red Lobster a run for its money.
I ate breakfast at the Mare Nostrum most mornings (open 24 hrs) as they had a scaled down variety of breakfast. I'm not a breaky kind of person, but I enjoyed the coffee and usually had toast, and fresh fruit. I has the option for an omlet if I wanted though. Ate there almost every day for lunch as they made great burgers and Pizza. Just a note... If you have to have relish for your burger or ranch dressing for your salad, bring your own. They have mustard, ketchup and mayo, but no relish. Also we brought our own peanut butter, jam and cheese whiz packets for the morning toast. They have none of these. They do have a jam but mostly peach, orange and apple marmalade. Also very limited dressings for salad. Again we brought our own.. Just a matter of preference.
The buffet we thought had a variety for all. Whether you go to the pasta station or choose from the variety of food offered, there is something for everyone. The list of theme buffets for both hotels is on display in the lobby behind Guest Sevices. Also there is menus for all restaurants there as well to show you in advance what they offer.
Also loved the fact that reservations were not needed at our hotel (required for the others) and never waited for a table.

Beach & Pool

You will find the most breathtaking beaches in the world here. Walking the beach first thing in the morning is the best. You will find joggers and sun seeking at all hours. Beaches are raked every day and found the PCP the best. Being an eearly riser, I always got a beach bed or a palapa with lounge chairs. Also, on some days at 10:00 there was several beach beds available at the beach. We would stay at the beach for the day and retreat to the pool arounf 3:30 for activities and chat at the swim up bar. Never was without a chair. We had wait service at the beach, (somewhat sporadic), but then again we're on holidays, plus there are two bars within steps of the beach.

Bars

What can I say. By taking the Regency Club package through Transat Holidays, we were able to have premium brands of liquor. I often had Canadian Club rye at both the pool bar and lobby bar. Plus had drinks such as Baileys, Sambucca, Amaretto... no problem. You will find your favourite tenders wherever you go. I found Emilio at the lobby bar was worth the price of admission. Very funny guy. Also Kenyia and Desarynia are great waitresses. Bernardo at the beach bar and Nelson at the pool bar are fantastic.

Entertainment

This area is a bit of a let down. Now don't get me wrong. Jesus and his Animacion staff are the greatest. They do a heck of a job with what they have to work with. They try and get the guests to participate in many activities, but many times they were doing exercises by themselves. There is no night life activities at the PCP, but often took the trolley over to the Caribe or Tropical for the shows. They are not to the coreagraphed standards I saw in Cuba, but were OK. The staff did try and get some Kareoke and other things in the lobby during the evenings, but thought if there was a piano player with sing alongs or dancing available for the somewhat older crowd, it would of been more fun. There is a disco on the propery or Casino off property you can enjoy as well.

Shopping

For all those need to buy buy buy. you can find some good bargins. There are stores and vendors at all the hotels as well as vendors to the left of the beach (about 5-7 min walk). You will have to barter so sharpen your negotiating skills. Every vendor there has the same line. "I give you special price" "Cheapy cheapy" But in the end, I found whatever price they tell you, start at 1/3 the price and go from there. NEVER pay full price at the vendors. It was same when we were at Manati park and in town. You can go to the bigger malls in town but I heard the prices were expensive and cab rides were almost $30. Not worth the money unless you have teenagers who need to shop!!!

Excursions

Being to Punta Cana 2 years ago, we did a lot of excursions then. Only went to Manati Park and Deep Sea Fishing this time. Found Manati Park very rewarding with the dophin/sea lion show, the horse show and parrot show. Not to mention all the exotic and domestic animals on display. For $30 per person, It was a great day of fun. You can go for as long as you want with specific pick up times both at your hotel and return trip.
Only thing we caught fishing was sea sickness. Water was rough and did not get a bite. Nuff said.

Service

We found the service overall at the PCP the best ever. Whether it was the maids, bartenders, front desk staff, bartenders, cooks, even management, everyone had a smile, said "hola" or was there to help. Never had that happen before!!!
Had a a young lad delivering towels stop and help me bring my luggage to my third floor room, without asking him.
Had Felix who works around the beach area, fix up my chairs, laid my towels out and cleaned the area around my beach bed, for nothing but a smile and have a good day. He did this daily..... Of course I tipped him generously.
I gave Pedro the Assist. Food & Bev. Mgr a nice compliment about the food and service we have been receiving from his staff. Just for my kind words, he gave my wife and I a special dinner with champagne at the Mare Nostrum that evening. Now that's class.

Tipping

I found this question being asked often on the T A forum. We took $100 in 1's for the two weeks and we ran out near the end. Tipping for good service is no different in the Dominican than it is in North America. We found giving a $20 tip for the best dinner evening we had on the trip was well worth it. Don't be afraid to to tip others like maintenace staff who will cut down a coconut for you or the Guest Service girls who will get you almost anything you need. They certainly do appreciate it. Plus we also left other items for staff like lotions, small toys and candies for their kids, some jewelery and school supplies.

Summary

Although the PCP is a small resort, it was exactly the type of place we were looking for. Well laid out, attention to detail and very clean. The entire staff is constantly cleaning. They even were taking all tables and chairs from the beach grill out, cleaning the floors and putting them back. They even took the pictures off the wall to clean them!!
We also had a problem with mosquitoes. Seemed to be in the lobby at night especially around the internet area. Even the Guest Services girls were getting bit. Bring some repellent.
We have stayed at another resort in Punta Cana with not the same results. We prefer the PCP for it's size, food quality, friendly staff and overall customer satisfaction.
We are already looking forward to our trip next year to the PCP.

If anybody has questions, please ask.

Visited the PCP march 22-29/08 and loved it. This was the first time we used TA to search for a resort. Once you cut through all the"Bull" about "Mosquitoes" "Cant find a thing to eat" " Inhospitable staff" "The Weather" its quite easy. We wanted a great beach, good food and drinks, Ocean View and Adults only so we narrowed it down to 3 resorts in Punta Cana. The Excellence was # 1 but for the same room classification was about $2000 more per week for two.

Check-in Landed at the airport at 9:00am and was having the first of many cold ones by 10:15. Our room was not ready till later so they checked our luggage and off we went to get something to eat. From the first moment, I knew that this resort was what we were looking for. From the first person we met to the last we said good-bye to every member of the staff was there to make sure we enjoyed our holiday. The Dominican people are the most sincere friendly people I have ever met and if its an act then they should stop wasting their time and head to Hollywood. We packed our swimsuits and other necessities in our carry-ons so we were able to eat and have a swim till our room was ready about 2:00. Our luggage was already in our room when we opened the door and a fresh plate of fruit, some hor durbs as well as 4 bottles of liqour
The Room We stayed in building 5 top floor Larger than most Suites at major hotels. Clean well decorated and the balcony overlooked the pool and had a beautiful view of the ocean. The bed was firm just the way we like it and the bathroom was large. It had great water pressure and the temp never changed no matter what time you showered. The maids had the rooms made up every day before 1:00. The fridge was always stocked. It was Easter weekend so we left a large gift bag with chocolate Easter Bunnies, Coloring books, crayons and colored pencils, Nail polish , Maple syrup and an Stuffed Easter Bunny hoping the maid had children, sisters and brothers or Grandchildren. The rest of the time we left a $5.00 and some makeup or hair clips. Dont forget the rest of the staff we gave makeup nail polish and clips to some of the girls in the restaurants and the rest we tipped. About $350 during the week.
The Resort When you step out of our building the pool was 100ft in front of you and the beach was 150ft to the left. The grounds were beautiful not a leaf out of place. I have never seen a cleaner resort At 7:00 every morning there were at least 8 staff out with hoses and brooms sweeping and polish all the walkways and the pool. The beach bathroom is literally on the beach and you couldnt see one grain of sand on the tile floors no matter what time of day you were there. A stroll from one end of the resort to the other was about 5 minutes. We tried as many A-la cartes as possible and enjoyed every one I wont suggest any restaurants I will let you sample them unbiased. The buffet was always excellent . When you entered there was a least two staff to greet you and ask were you would like to sit. The water glasses were filled and coffee was poured before you could even sit down. The selection was amazing If you could find something to eat then you do have a problem. We went to the buffet at the sister resort the Caribe for breakfast one morning and that was all we needed to appreciated our resort even more. There were screaming kids, flustered parents, a lineup for omelets and not a lot more selection.
The Beach The most beautiful beach I have ever seen and we are "Beach People" This is where we spent most of our day. The Sunbeds are worth the trip and yes we played the towel game but we used the bed all day. We didnt go to the pool or the room for a nap. When we were done I would ask other couples if they would like to use it and they we very appreciated. The beds were full only two days the rest of the time there was always a couple open. I could not believe the number of beds that were toweled and only seen the owners long enough to read a few pages and then off again. This practice should be changed. If the owners are gone more than an hour the security should remove the towels and allow others to use them.
The Staff What can I say. By day 2 whenever you went by the pool or beach bar a hand would go up beckoning you to come have a drink with them and they remembered what you drank the last time. Every staff member would greet you with Hola whenever you seen them. The girls at the buffets would give you a hug and the waiters would shake your hand or give the High Five.

I could go on and on but there is one thing that happened that I feel deserves mentioning and hopefully it will ease someones mind. My wife caught a cold, most likely on the plane and by thursday it had gone into her chest. We went to see the resort Doctor and I can honestly say I have been so impressed with a Medical professional in my life. She took us right in diagnosed the problem an infection in her bronical tubes gave her a shot and antibiotics. She put her on a ventilator for 30 min and told us to call her day or night and she would come to our room with the ventilator. My wife had booked to swim with the Dolphins the next day and she advised against it but after some pleading she agreed but we had to come in at 7:00 am before we left for the park for the ventiltor and again once we returned . We had to catch the shuttle to the airport the next day at 7:00am and she came in at 6:00am to give her one more treatment so she would be comfortable on the plane. What a sweatheart. We paid the bill with Visa and it was not as much as we would have paid in Canada for the same service. She gave us a letter to give to our Doctor when we returned. He read it and totally agreed with her diagnosis and treatment. It was exactly what he would have prescribed.

I have rambled long enough We will never forget the PCP and will return at least 2 weeks a year if not more. You cant go wrong with this resort if what you want is Great service Excellent food a totally relaxed atmosphere and to met some of the nicest people from Canada ,the US and the Dominican. You can pay more but why?