a retard wrote:
I'd be interested in hearing about Hard Rock after you go.
Just got back on Saturday. Here's my review.
Flight- We had a direct flight on Southwest. It is typically tough to get direct flights as most AA flights have domestic layovers. It was nice to go direct and save time. In addition, customs is extremely fast at Midway. O'Hare can be a mess and time consuming in that regard.
Food- The biggest issue with all inclusives is the food. You tend to get stuck in buffets for breakfast and lunch. You run out of choices quickly. This place was no exception. Basically every restaurant save one turns into a buffet for breakfast and many are the same way for lunch. The dinner places all have themes- Italian, Mexican, etc. They were ok, nothing special. The Brazilian place was awful, possibly the worst meat I have ever eaten. In addition, the resort lacks for choices, so you are sure to go to the same place multiple times. The BBQ places on the beach and near certain pools were weak. Some pools had wait service with unique menus. Those were ok.
Alcohol- The rooms were well stocked with both beer and lower shelf liquor. There were places to get drinks all over the resort, so you never lacked for alcohol. The beer was a local beer- Presidente. I like that beer, but you basically looking at a Dos Equis kind of brew. The liquor was perfectly acceptable for tropical drinks, but not something you would drinks on straight.
Rooms- We had the best room in any of our vacations. It was two full baths, a kitchen, two bedrooms, a huge deck. Plenty of space. It was a mid level suite. It was akin to an apartment. Room service 24/7. The kids loved ordering stuff back to the room. Included with your stay.
Pools- They had a huge variety from quiet places to party scenes. They were all very nice. They had bars all over the place at the pools and staff that went around. It never seemed too crowded, so we were always able to find chairs.
Beach- Fabulous, beautiful. Water is rough most of the time. If you like beaches, this is a good one. No wave runners presumably because of the rough sea. They had all other water type excursion activities.
Staff- I was pleasantly surprised. My prior criticisms of Punta Cana included a lack of English skills among the hotel staff. This place was no exception but the staff really tried to help out with all aspects of our stay. Very friendly.
Entertainment- Sub par relative to what we have had on cruises.
Resort- It is a pretty large place. They have shuttles to take you around if you hate walking. It is very nice overall.
Final thought- We are done with all inclusives. You really have to be a buffet person. The food just gets tiring by day two or three. Everything else about the resort is nice. I wouldn't go again, but worth a try for people that aren't sick of all inclusives.