Had a lovely time. Just got back yesterday and I thought I would write a review while everything is fresh in my mind. The hotel just hired a new food and beverage manager who has already made some changes for the better. The rooms need upgrading and some of the rooms have been upgraded. The hotel is striving to get to a good 4 star hotel. It may take a good year to reach this level. The food was good, not great. The beach was excellent and the pool was nice. The hotel had activities all day and each night had a different theme. The hotel grounds are beautiful and kept very clean. The staff was very friendly. The shows were unprofessional. Has a nice international flavor. Hotel is good for families. Nearby there were some nice attractions. Felt very safe as there are stories of the dangers of Dominican Republic. The Playa Dorada area you must pass a security check point and then each hotel has their own security.

On arrival
We were waiting in lobby for 2 hours, because rooms weren’t ready and second party for over 3 hours. Then I had to wait another hour for baby crib for my 8-month-old baby to arrive, they brought it as far as hallway and left it there. I had to get it in myself.
My mother in law faced another surprise after getting her card to the room; the card didn’t want to open the door. It was reprogrammed about 10 other times during our stay.

Room
We were expecting our SUNWING VIP CLUB HOTEL ROOM, as described on our e-ticket and got just regular standard room without fruit plate and a bottle of rum as described in Sunwing Club Hotel page.
Our actual room had what appear to be:
2 double beds (not as advertised)
no jug
no hair dryer
ants all over room
barely any light
AC thermostat was falling OFF, temperature gage couldn’t be regulated, had two positions ON and OFF
AC made a lot of noise, it was impossible have it ON during the night
telephone in the room had no dial tone

Also, there wasn't anywhere to hang dry our towels. It also smelt and felt very damp. There weren’t any ceiling lights, only a "hallway" light, a vanity table light and bedside lamp. It was a real pain getting ready in the evening, as we had to close our curtains for privacy and the room was very dark. The beds weren’t comfortable and we weren't happy with it. The Air-con was very loud and we had an infestation of ants and I was bitten all over my legs every night, even through we made a conscious effort to shake the bedding.
The mother in law room had same things except she had more light.
The room lock didn’t work neither did the washroom door lock.
The bed was done but the linens were never changed.

Food
Limited quantity and selection and it weren’t always fresh.
The snack bar opening times were did not make sense for people who missed breakfast (snack bar opens at 12pm and lunch time at 12:30pm); it was always short on food and variety. When it closes for a-la-carte we ending up of having only one bar available (by the pool).

Staff

Reception staffs were not helpful and barely spoke any English, with all our issues we had to face- it took us numerous trips to reception desk and it was difficult to resolve even little things. The biggest headache was definitely the beach sellers and the VIP workers. They would not leave you alone. They would not take “NO” for an answer and would follow you everywhere you walked.
Maids were walking in after one knock even at 9am without giving you a chance to answer.
Most of the serving staff (food and drinks) was serving local tourists first without standing in the line unlike everybody else.

Beach

It was problematic to get beach towels, most of the time they were out. How is that possible when everybody was issued a card?

Entertainment

We were lucky that we have small kids. Other party had older and they had a lot of questions regarding the shows. Most of the shows were sexually inappropriate for a “Family friendly resort”.


I would not recoment this resort even to my enemies.
It's horrible.

I have to say it was a great time. The staff were great. The food was good. The only thing I didn't like was my room when I first got there. It was a standard room when they mean a standard room it is standard it didn't even have a Telephone in there, no Fridge, no dresser for clothing. Once I requested to be moved, they didn't have a problem with moving us. The intertainment was good, drinks were good and strong lol
The Beach was amazzing, they did a awesome job for beach night. We had supper on the beach and a show after it was great.You have to be careful what you buy on the beach they double the price of things The plaza is not to bad to buy things. Don't buy cigars from benders on the beach I was told that they make their cigars out of Banana leaves. Overall it was a great trip.

Don't forget to tip!!!!!!! It is a nice gesture

Resort was nice,and to have a vacation is nice.BUT!!! When U come to have a worry free vacation and it's the opposite by the time U return home U'll be all worn out. We waited to get into our room for over an hour w/ 2 kids and my mom over 3hours. Room had minimum lighting 'til the last 2 days prior to our departure that's not counting how many times we had to go to reception w/ this problem. My mom on the other hand couldn't get into her room and had her card replaced at least 10 times. People barely spoke English at the reception desk, and at bars or any other places locals mostly got served first and w/out standing in line. ROOM VIP standard? IT DOESN'T exist! Shows are pertty perverted not considering that it suppose to be family friendly. YAH! Alot of misadvertisement and alot of missunderstanding. On the bus tour guide told everyone that tax at the airport excepts US, CND or Peso. NOT happening. Need to pay $80 tax for 2 adults 1 3yr. old & an infant. Run here run there to exchange money . Oh well we actually didn't have to run around because baby doesn't pay tax.Draw your own conclusion,but to anyone that asks me suggestion is think twice about visiting this resort.