Resort was booked for our third trip to the Dominican Republic this year (Love the Punta Cana Beach) making it our fifth trip to the islands so far this year. The resort was impressive as we arrived and the staff very friendly and accommdating. It however went downhill from there. Our room was very nice but the grass by our patio was 10-12 inches high which led to a very large pool which was starting to grow algae. You could wade to a swim up bar but it generally closed early making quite a few people unhappy. The dining experience was the worst that I have had in the islands. After generally an hour wait (they do provide a pager) you were seated with a limited menu and tasteless dishes. I mean it was BAD!!! The only decent meal we had was when I purchased a $50 US lobster for the wife and it was average. When we did check out we asked 3 times for a baggage pickup over a 40 minute period and received no response. How this resort can claim 5 stars is beyond me as it is the worst place I've stayed in years. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere.

My husband and I and our two teenage daughters just returned from a week's vacation at Dreams Punta Cana. Dreams is a beautiful resort. The grounds are well landscaped and well maintained. The marble walkways add to the overall effect and there are covered walkways from each building to the main lobby, which was very nice when it rained.
The staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful. They could not do enough for us. When we arrived our bus was met by a concierge, an employee with a tray full of warm facecloths, and an employee carrying a tray of champagne and freshly baked cookies. The main lobby is very impressive with its marble floors and beautiful staircase leading to the lower lobby. We were met by Magalis, who looked after us during our stay at Dreams. She gave us a guided tour of the facility and was there for us every day in case we needed anything. She is a very personable young lady who made our stay much more enjoyable. Thank you Magalis, for making us feel as if we were your "family."
Our rooms were lovely and they were kept spotless. Sometimes the maids were there twice a day providing fresh towels and making sure all was well. They did not speak much English but were certainly friendly and capable.
The entertainment staff are truly AMAZING. These young people work full out all day long to provide activities at the pool and on the beach. Then they put on a show each night in the main theatre which can only be described as spectacular. They dance, they perform, and they work very hard to keep the guests happy. Mekymouse went above and beyond, keeping us laughing and entertained throughout our stay. He is a real people person and greeted everyone as if he had known them forever. He truly should be commended for being such a goodwill ambassador for Dreams. We certainly looked forward to seeing him each day, wondering what costume he would be wearing or what game he would be hosting.
We would also like to thank Bertillio who was working in the lounge as a bartender. He is a very personable young man who entertained us royally. He made us special drinks and treated us very well. He tried to teach us to dance and we enjoyed spending time with him. He also made us feel like his "family." Thanks Bertillio, for making our stay a memorable one.
The restaurants at Dreams are very nice. We ate at all of them except the French one. The World Cafe offers buffet breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, as well as snacks until 3 a.m. The food is plentiful and good overall. The other restaurants were good too, although the portions were small. You get what you order, so you have to make sure you ask for side dishes. The decor is fabulous in the Japanese and Mexican restaurants, very authentic and creates a nice atmosphere.
The pool at Dreams is something else. It goes from the top of the resort right down to the beach and includes a waterfall, volleyball nets, jacuzzis, and swim up bar. There are lots of pool chairs and huts for shade and we never had a problem getting a spot poolside. There is entertainment all day as well, so you can participate or not, whatever you choose.
We spent a few days at the beach and did have to get there early if we wanted a hut. There were some rocky patches, but signs warned us to be careful. Overall it was lovely and the waves were just enough to gently rock you. Our daughters went tubing (cost extra) and enjoyed that. There was also a trampoline in the water, and you could go snorkeling at no cost.
Overall we enjoyed our week immensely. For our first trip south, it was certainly a pleasurable experience. We would definitely recommend Dreams if you are looking for a quiet, relaxing vacation. It exceeded all of our expectations and we hope to return someday.

The vacation was great except for the front desk and their manners and customer service. Let me explain the good part first.

All other staff is outstanding. Truely worked hard to ensure a pleasent experience and it worked. The entertainment team were fun and envolved all, and at times put me into a belly laughter. The wait staff and bar tenders were all attentive and made the experience enjoyable. The leader's name is Melkis and between him, 50cent and Usher among so many more it was a lot of fun. Food was good, champagne all day, and grounds nice.

Now for the watchout:
Booked our vacation through Apple, started with a basic room then contacted the Hotel and upgraded to a swim out room. Later was contacted by the Hotel reservations to upgrade further at a discounted rate for the honeymoon suite. We spoke to the hotel and they said we could wait until we arrived and see if there were rooms availible. After arriving at the hotel, the front desk would not honor the discount. We offered to provide the email of the rate offered. So we decided to stay in the swim out room. That evening the room upstairs had a major leak all over our things in our bath and everything got wet. When we complained to the front desk we recieved no sympathy. When asked about the upgraded room they still would not upgrade us at a discounted rate, my wife had to verbally complain to even get a few percent from them. Later that day the person we spoke to in reservations who sent us the upgrade at a lower percent asked us why we did not contact him, we said we tried but the front desk did not know him and would not honor the rate in any event, he said nothing. So nothing was done. In the future I would watch out for the oldest trick in the books - bait and switch.

Please note that the grounds were immaculate, but there is garbage all over outside of the resort and throughout the island. It's a shame that $3 billion dollars are brought in by tourism, but they do not have in effective garbage system.

Lots of children and excellent for families. Not for us...we prefer an all adult resort, but Apple advised us that it would be quiet. Apple owns 50% of the resort and really pushes selling it!

We have just returned to the UK from the most amazing resort we have ever stayed in. On the last day I said to my partner "we have to think of some negatives" and we genuinely couldn't.

The flight with Thomson from Newcastle was excellent - the extra legroom and individual TVs really helped make the flight enjoyable. I was worried about taking my 2 yr old on a 9 hour flight but he was great. We arrived into gorgeous sunshine which lasted our whole stay. The airport at punta cana is mainly open air which means it's wise to take light clothing to change into as it's pretty warm. We were through the airport and onto the bus quickly, our bags came straight through. The transfer took almost an hour, and whilst it was quite bumpy it was nothing like some of the reviewers on this site have implied!

On arrival we were given a glass of champagne and a cold washcloth and checked in quickly. Our room was in block 2 looking out over the main pool bar area and the beach. The room was beautifully decorated and contained everything we could want, even a set of bathroom scales! With the extra bed and the pushchair in, the room was a little cramped but still perfectly adequate. The fridge full of cold drinks was very welcome. The bellboys delivered our bags within a few minutes and we headed straight down to the pool. We had no noise at all from our neighbours during our stay, a welcome change from the paper thin walls of the med!

The pool is the crowning glory of this hotel, it's absolutely huge and the most gorgeous temperature. We never had any problem at all getting a bed, at the top end most of the beds didn't get taken all day. The iceberg was a great hit with the little one, as was the toddlers area at the beach. This really made our lives easy as he could play happily whilst we chilled out on sunbeds, it gave us a bit of a break whilst still being with him. The area has a shaded sandpit, climbing frame with swings, indoor play room and a pool shallow enough for babies to sit in. It is right on the beach but fenced in with a lock so only adults can open the gate.

The towel service is briliant - you can take as many towels as you want, and get new ones when you wet them. This was really wonderful as we were able to make a lovely comfy bed for our son to have a nap which meant we didn't have to go back to the room.

The beach is also gorgeous - the sea was rough the first few days but the second half of the week was calm and I even managed to persuade my 2 yr old to swim on his own in the ocean. There are rocks straight ahead of the hotel but go about 50 feet to the left where the trampoline is and it's fine. I'm not sure how anyone manages to cut themselves as you can see the rocks clearly. We took fins and snorkels and had some great times communing with the many fish! The trampoline is great fun but be warned it's meant to be just for kids - my partner got told off for jumping off it! There are kayaks and sailboats available on the beach although we didn't use them.

The food was hit and miss. We found the buffet in the world cafe always hit the right spot, their breakfasts were excellent and the roast meats at night were superb. The italian was also tasty. We tried Himitsu, Oceana and the Seaside grill also (once each) but found the food was quite bland there so we mainly stuck to the world cafe. For lunch we went to the beach BBQ and had burgers and nachos.

A couple of other things that made this a brilliant holiday: the self-service soft drinks and ice at the barracuda bar, the unlimited ice cream in the afternoon, the floats in the pool (tip: if anyone is hording them just ask them "are you using this?" - they can't exactly refuse to let you have it), the activities during the day (spanish lessons, ping pong, crossbow etc) and the sheer hard work by all the staff. We were amazed by the number of staff who all work so hard to keep the hotel spotless and the guests happy. It made us ashamed of the (lack of) work ethic back home. These people are probably working for peanuts but do it with a smile of their face and to a really high standard. The grounds are beautiful, the flamingoes were a great hit with our son. The photographers (based in the lobby by the world cafe) are amazing - we got a couple of photos taken by the wandering photographer - there is no pressure at all to buy, you just go and browse the pictures on the computer, if you do want to buy they are $10 per print or on CD. You can also book an hour long session with a minimum spend of $150 (15 prints). If our little one hadn't been so camera shy we would have done this. The pictures we did see of other guests were beautiful.

We saw a few weddings while we were there and you couldn't have asked for a more spectacular setting. If/when we ever take the plunge I would happily go to Dreams to do it!

I had a massage in the spa while we were there, it seemed expensive to me at $110 for a 50-minute aromatherapy massage, but the spa is gorgeous and it was a lovely relaxing break away from toddler-world!

Overall this was an amazing holiday and for once I can honestly say I would go back tomorrow!