My boyfriend and I went on a 10-day 9-night trip to VWS. I can say that it was not the best trip I have ever been but it was not bad….. I think our problem was that we stayed there too long and ended on a not so good note. I can honestly say that 7 days out instead of ten would have been perfect and just the right amount. After reading copious amounts of reviews we did not expect a 5 star hotel but we figured that for the price and the reviews about the beach it would be worth it and we were very right in this regard.
We were upgraded to a beach front one bed room villa and had an amazing view as well as close proximity to the beach and non-motorized water sport area. I don’t think we ever carried a towel to the beach since we were so close to it – we would get out of the water walk maybe 1 min and voila, there is our villa to dry off or take a shower.

It is definitely true that the beach is spectacular. It definitely makes up for the faults here and there you can find about the hotel/food/service etc.

Beach:_______________________________________________________________

Miles and miles of unspoiled isolated beach with palm trees lining the shoreline. Although the beach is mostly gold sand, as soon as you get close to water you can see the sand color is white and for a good 200 M the sand is white under the water. This allows for gorgeous turquoise waters that are profoundly breathtaking to say the least. Most of the guests stayed pretty much on the hotel property beach, which is fine I guess but I didn’t really understand why one would want to do that.
Walking just 5 minutes either way from the hotel beach you will be able to be completely isolated. In addition this is where the good snorkeling areas are. Somedays the waves were big which made it fun to swim in or body board on and some days the waves were very calm and those were the days that snorkeling was a lot of fun. The water was crystal clear on those dyas and you could see all various fish, coral reef as well as different marine life. Take a kayak out (free included in all inclusive package) and put your head in where the waters have dark patches from the surface because that’s where the good snorkeling is…..
If you want to get out of the sun but still lay on the beach there are palm trees providing ample shade from the glaring sun. also there are many beach chairs….. provided by the hotel on the hotel beach area, there always were some available through out the whoel day…DEFINATELY GO IF YOU LOVE GREAT UNSPOILED CLEAN BEAUTIFUL BREATH-TAKING BEACHES


Food:__________________________________________________________________

I have to say I was not a fan of the food. My boyfriend says I am obsessed with food and I love eating as well as trying new things. I actually would have preferred going to the surrounding areas and trying local cuisines, which we did on the last day there. My BF and I are not picky eaters, to give you an idea, we will try organs, different body parts of animals because we never tried it before. I will try anything and will probably like it as long as something doesn’t make me sick.
The problem with the food here was something was making me sick and it also made my BF sick for a few days.

As soon as we got there we were very happy with the buffet selection especially since there was lots of options (many dishes, beef, pork, steaks, chicken, fish, rice, bread, fresh veggies and fruits) and it seemed as though they catered to local Dominican Republic food and recipes. The menu changed everyday and it was very exciting for me and the food did not taste bad at all on first impressions.

However, after a few days everything tasted the same and all the dishes were missing important elements in the flavoring. I expected it though because, with the price we paid and also the fact that it’s all-inclusive it would be crazy for the quality to stay great.

End all be all, my main problem was that the food made sick. I never felt completely ok after I ate. The first few days, it just affected me a little bit but as the days progressed, I became pretty sick and by day 6 I was bed ridden with a horrible stomachache (after Mexican night beware!!!!) . I am still not feeling hundred percent ok even after I have been back in the state now for three day.
The Italian restaurant was good to really good but the Asian restaurant was horrible. I am Asian and I know good Asian food, I expected them to bastardize it in someway but this was really bad. But it also might be because I am Asian I am more judgmental on it.
Food is available 24 hours so you will never go hungry unless you choose not to eat..

Once I became really sick I stuck with the fruit and pasta that was customized for you on the spot. This helped me enjoy the rest of my vacation as so I didn’t have to be bed ridden. If you have a weak stomach or are a picky eater, this hotel might be a problem for you…. Then again… eat the fruits and bread for maybe a few days because the beach is definitely worth it.

Hotel and Amenities

Hotel:

The hotel is very isolated and the surrounding area is not developed at all. The property of the hotel is very well kept and it felt truly like we were on a cruise because we were not able to venture forth to any near by developed area. The nearest town is 15 min by car and the cab ride ranges from 7 to 15 US dollars one way. Even if you go into town there is not much to do or see.
Please note that it might a bit different for people who speak Spanish- I do not speak any Spanish and my BF has very limited knowledge of it…so this might have taken a bit of fun out of the experience.
The hotel has two bars, one on the beach and on near the hotel entrance, two reservation required restaurants and buffet service area, two gift shops and disco performance area.
The staff is helpful for the most part, you will have to go to lobby to find good English speaking staff, the staff in the other areas speak very little or no English.
You do not need to change to peso when you are here.. everyone accept US dollars… if you want or need to change to peso.. change a very small amount… since you will lose money buying US dollars back from peso due to the different exchange rates. The hotel ahs a better exchange rates to change to peso s than the airport..

We did not change any US dollars for PESO and had absolutely no problem for the 10 days we were there. I actually think the staff prefers USD over pesos for tips anyhow.

The electricity of the hotel shuts off 2-3 times a day for 5 seconds each time. Its actually pretty funny… it shuts off exactly at 12 in the morning and 12 in the afternoon… we couldn’t figure out why but it really was no trouble at all..

Phone and Internet:

Use the hotel phone (9+1 and then the number if you want to call US it is cheap)
DO NOT USE THE CREDIT CARD CALLING SERVICE BECAUSE THEY RIP YOU OFF AND CHARGE YOUR CREDIT CARD MANY FEES AND CAHRGE YOU WHEN YOU DO NOT USE THE SERVICE.

My phone (sprint) got only little or no service in this area. ATT gets service… here though but I’m sure the hotel phone is cheaper…. regardless..
Internet is not available in the rooms and there is no wireless option. You will have two computers available at the gift shop that will have Internet access.
To use this it is 10 US dollars an hour…for two days in the trip there was no internet service available.


Room:
I can’t speak for every room but our room was great. The bedroom was the only place that had AC but the AC was good and strong and kept the room at a cool temp all day even with the power outages…
Of the 10 days I was there, I only had one day in which the shower was luke warm and not hot…… I like my showers very very very hot so… you see that this would be something I would complain about if we did not have hot hot water available in the hotel…


Transportation to hotel:

Call the hotel and speak with Jessica, the guest service lady she speaks perfect English…. She will set up a van service to and from the airport to and hotel vice versa that is 110 for your party one way. The driver will be waiting for you at the airport with a sign with ur name on it. The ride is comfortable… and very scenic. The drive is long but I really enjoyed it since I got to the rest of the island and also the view through the mountains is something I have never seen in my life….. its gorgeous.. everything went off without a hitch…
BTW the airport in Puerto Plata is small and is a big joke…. They did not even open my passport… and waived me through do not be hesitant to go through customs or otherwise in DR Puerto Plata airport

We just returned from a weekend getaway to the VIva Wyndham Samana Resort. I am a seasoned traveler and can tell you if you are too, this is not the resort for you.

The most attractive feature of the resort is the beach. You can walk from one end ,as far as the eye could see, to the other and it is unspoiled and mostly isolated. The new airport at Samana may make Las Terrenas more popular and the area is growing so this may not last long. We most enjoyed finding a small shack walking west , where the river meets the ocean, that sells beverages and this was a welcome rest stop after walking and exploring.

Our room was a villa type ocean front with a sitting room and a bedroom. No central AC, only the bedroom is air conditioned. You better take a shower early if you like hot showers. The rooms are not very sound proof. I could hear my next door neighbor's conversation when I was in the bathroom. The fan in the sitting room made a very loud noise.

The show was awful, the MC spoke loudly into the microphone and we could not understand a word (we speak English and Spanish) as he tried to say everything in English, Spanish, and some other language (maybe Italian). The show was mainly geared to lots of "bootie" shaking by both men and women.

The disco is located in an outdoor pavillion with no AC so if you go in the summer be prepared to sweat a lot if you want to dance. Merengue and Bachata (both Dominican) was the only music played. We had to beg for them to play Salsa music for variety. After a while the entertainment crew led the crowd with the usual touristy fare which included the "MACARENA", I guess no one told them it's sooo last century.

The food was not great. I am glad we were only there for two days,I could not have put up with it much longer. There are three restaurants, one serving buffet, not requiring reservations and two which require reservations. To reserve a seat at the restaurant later than 6:00 p.m. we had to payoff the manager. When we arrived for our 7:45 p.m. reservation, and for the entire time we were there, there were lots on empty tables (reservations were limited for 20 persons each night) The menu was quite limited and we ended up going to the buffet restaurant for desert since they only offered a very limited choice of desserts, and we didn't like their choices.

Overall, if you are looking for an inexpensive, all inclusive, option to visit this area, this may be the place for you. But if you want something more don't choose this resort.

We returned from a week at the Viva Wyndham All Inclusive Resort with
my wife and two teenage daughters. Getting there from Puerto Plata Airport was an adventure. The tour bus was comfortable but the ride was a tiring 3.5 hrs. But once we arrived we were greeted and welcomed by the staff. The resort is on the beach with mountains (tropical forest) as a backdrop. When we found our way to the room we
discovered we had been upgraded to 1 bedroom suite. The room is set up as an efficiency with 2 twin beds and a loft bedroom with a king size bed (2 twin beds). The food was good to very good. We enjoyed dining at the Mediteraneo and the Oriental restaurants. Make sure to reserve in advance. All the staff are friendly and accomodating. The beach is set in a cove off the Atlantic Ocean. The water is waist high for 200'. The beaches are clean with chaise lounges set about the palms. Being of fair skin we found ourselves following the shadows from the palm trees. Life is tough at the beach but somebody has to do it. The resort is frequented by Europeans and very few Americans. Apparently they can fly to local airports. The trip back to the airport was much better in the morning. Driving over the mountains and along the shoreline offered some great views. Overall my family had a great time in Samana.

We just returned from a two week vacation at the Viva Wyndham Samana. It was a wonderful experience. The beach is definitely the highlight of the resort. I would rate the beach a 5** star. You can walk for over an hour either way on the beach which is completely undeveloped except for a few small hotels and private homes. Lots of huge waves to challenge when swimming. I loved just sitting on the beach watching and listening to the waves. You can use a boggie board and surf the waves. Snorkelling can be done simply by walking along the beach towards Playa Bonita. There is a coral reef at this point and lots of fish to see. They have kayaks, windsurfers & a catamaran. They provide a lesson so you can sail yourself.

There was a good variety of food choices and I honestly did not get tired of the wide selection over two weeks. I tried everything and was healthy during my stay. They also made great cappuccinos in the bar just off the main lobby. The wine is imported from Spain and it was okay. They have a list of specialty drinks you can try. I only tried the pina colada and cuba libra and I requested the Brugal rum which definitely tasted better than the regular alcohol they use.

The Animation Team put on some great shows, especially their Molon Rouge & Michael Jackson shows. There were plenty of activities during the day that the Animation team encouraged people to participate in & kept us occupied. It was a great way to get to know other vacationers. There was a huge mix of people from all over. German, Italian, French, & English. If you participate and can't speak the language you still feel welcome.

I never used the pool but it looked very clean and inviting. It's not huge, but good for children. They obviously just retiled the pool area because it is different than the picture on the internet. The wood around the pool is now tile.

The gardens and surrounding area are manicured constantly and look beautiful. The beach bar set up was located in the perfect spot on the beach, so you could sit down and people watch and stay tuned with the daily activities. Most people tended to stay on the beach until 5:30-6:30 p.m. due to the seating area in the beach bar. Also, the two restaurants, stage and disco are located in this area as well. We tried both restaurants and found they were good. The Animation Team encouraged all guests to go to the disco right after the show. This was good too. The group dances with all guests.

The rooms were clean and freshly painted. The bathrooms and closet area could use a fresh coat of paint and an update. The only downside to our trip was the shower. Somedays the shower would be fine, other days we would get hot water, then cold water. After a few days of rain we found we would get a small stream of water coming out which was luke warm or cold. This might have been due to the hot water tanks sitting on top of the buildings. We had one week of overcast, rainy partial sunny days. This may have affected their reservoir located outside the front gates.

Overall, this was one of the nicest vacations I've had in the DR and my 4th visit. I would definitely go back here again because of the resort size, location, beach and food.