Dreams Punta Cana Hotel
, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
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Dreams Punta Cana Hotel
Playas Uvero Alto
- Punta Cana - Dominican Republic
Hotel Website |
809-682-0404
3443
Traveller
Reviews - Dreams Punta Cana Hotel
Terrible food
Submitted by: Dave in 14/11/07 - Age Group: 51 - 60
- From: United States
- Traveller type: Relaxation Seeker
We have traveled throughout the Carribean and to the Dominican Rep before. This is first time to Sunscape . This will be the last. A group of 6 in our party and 5 became ill. The food had no taste and was not served hot. I lost 5 lbs on the trip and am still having stomach problems. The pool was nice and the service staff was friendly. The grounds were unkept. The beaches were unusable because of large rocks in water preventing anyone from going in. Lines to the doctors office at $ 90.00 a visit for stomach problem. Thank god for Immodium. We had to have room sprayed for bed bugs. It did not help. Our group have traveled everywhere before. Same time every year and we never have problems. We go to relax eat and enjoy.. Never again to Sunscape.............
Bring lots of Pepto Bismal!
Submitted by: Mark in 24/10/07 - Age Group: 51 - 60
- From: United States
- Traveller type: Mature Couple
My wife and I travel quite a bit, one of the nice things about getting older. This time we were travelling for the wedding of our oldest son. Sunscape The Beach according to the reviews on the internet seemed like a good bet...28 Family and Friends attended..24 spent at least one day in their room sicker than a dog. No one drank any water or used it in any other way, including brushing of teeth, except to bathe.
The food was served air temperature at almost every venue with the exception of the Omelet at breakfast a few other venues...I did see chicken kept in tubs on the beach for hours, not including the time after it was cooked and left in a bowel in the Sun.
Drinks, watered...with of course exceptions of beer and wine...this resort was chosen due to the "premium beverage service" they advertise. No longer any imported beers only El Presidente, however that was ok...
Ants in the room, broken mirrors and tiles but seemed clean...linens and towels of poor quality, pillows thin and rock hard. There was mention of a pillow menue but there were none available...turn down service has been discontinued..
All in All Skip this one...
The food was served air temperature at almost every venue with the exception of the Omelet at breakfast a few other venues...I did see chicken kept in tubs on the beach for hours, not including the time after it was cooked and left in a bowel in the Sun.
Drinks, watered...with of course exceptions of beer and wine...this resort was chosen due to the "premium beverage service" they advertise. No longer any imported beers only El Presidente, however that was ok...
Ants in the room, broken mirrors and tiles but seemed clean...linens and towels of poor quality, pillows thin and rock hard. There was mention of a pillow menue but there were none available...turn down service has been discontinued..
All in All Skip this one...
Fantastic in every aspect!
Submitted by: Linda in 23/06/07 - Age Group: 31 - 40
- From: United Kingdom
- Traveller type: Luxury Traveller
We stayed at the Sunscape Garden Beach hotel last August (06) and I have to say it surpassed all our expectations. The accommodation, food, entertainment and especially the service was second to none and the hotel is well deserving of its 5 stars. We originally chose the hotel because we were travelling as a family of four and thought that it offered the most variety in places to eat and a large pool to keep the children entertained. On arrival, we found the resort offered us plenty to do whether we wanted to spend our time enjoying some relaxation by the pool or when we felt more adventurous and chose from a large number of excursions. (Highly recommend the Quad bikes!!). The hotel's all-inclusive package also excelled as they offered an extensive range of imported beers and spirits (we didn't have to drink their local equivalent) and the staff always ensured that our glasses were never empty.
In conclusion, I could highlight all the great points this hotel has to offer but I believe the best testimony I can give this hotel is the fact that I have chosen to return to this hotel in Aug 07 to get married!!
In conclusion, I could highlight all the great points this hotel has to offer but I believe the best testimony I can give this hotel is the fact that I have chosen to return to this hotel in Aug 07 to get married!!
Not a place I would recommend.
Submitted by: Max in 26/06/06 - Age Group: 31 - 40
- From: United States
- Traveller type: Young Couple
We stayed at Sunscape the beach from May 2-9, 2006. We decided on this hotel primarily because of the good reviews on this site, but we probably should have given fair weight to the negative reviews. We just kind of thought that the people who wrote the bad reviews were too uptight. We are pretty chilled out people, and as such, we had a wonderful time on this vacation. But...I would have to say that at times, it was despite the resort, rather than because of it.
Getting to the hotel:
We booked through orbitz and had to arrange transportation to the hotel from the airport. It was kind of a pain to arrange, but there is a company called coco tours that will to transfers. If you need this service, they may be a good starting point. They charge $50-75 per couple, or per van if there are more of you. We saw them charge people more than that, too, so there seems to be some degree of flexibility depending on how gullible they think you are.
Lobby/Arrival:
The lobby and check in were great. No complaints. They bring you drinks, towels and cookies and are very nice.
Rooms:
The rooms themselves are a bit musty, but pretty much what you would expect based on what you're paying. There has been mention of bathrooms leaking and bizarre and inadequate shower glass/curtain on this site. All true. We know of two people who dealt with water leaking in their rooms and one couple had to deal with it for the last two days of their stay. They never came to fix it, though they said they would. This seems to be a pretty common theme for the service in this resort.
Grounds/Pool/Beach:
The grounds themselves are quite beautiful and well maintained. The pool is as advertised, and if anything, looks better in real life than in pictures.
The beach is pretty rocky and doesn't really compare to most carribean destinations, but you probably have pieced that together by now. We never saw a single person in the water the week we were there. The pool, however, diod make up for that, believe it or not.
One thing that was very annoying was that while you are chilling/basking in the sun, employees will come up to you - wake you up! - and yell, "You wann go for a horse back riding??!" and such solicitations. They are a little too pushy. I mean, should you really have to answer why you're not interested? These are actually employees of the hotel! So, there is a constant din of peddling while you lay by the pool. By aware and prepared for it.
The pool/covered huts being blocked/toweled by employees looking to make a few bucks has been discussed many times, but i will just confirm that it's true. Also true that people will come out at 6:30 am, put their things on chairs and then go back to bed...
Bars/Service:
Service at the poolside bar(s) was probably the worst thing in the whole resort, and in all fairness, that's saying a lot. We are compulsive tippers and tend to go by the rule that if you can tip beforehand to assure service, that's a pretty darn good idea. Well, there probably wasn't a lot of difference between the service with tip or without, and it was shockingly slow and indifferent.
Restaurants:
The restaurants were average. The japanese side of the asian restaurant has three hibatchi grills and, hence, seats 30 people total. Waits do tend to be long, but greasing of palms works wonders in this department. The food is tolerable. The chinese food - ditto. The mexican restaurant was not very good. One thing we didn't expect was that although almost all the people at the resort were english-speaking, the staff didn't understand english. We had heard this complaint before and found it pretty ethnocentric - I mean, we are in their country! But, the problem was compounded by the fact that the staff has apparently been trained to nod at the appropriate times and then forget about the request and under no circumstances will they ask for a clarification. My wife is vegetarian and I speak some spanish, yet we were singularly unable to succesfully get a vegetarian meal in all but one instance (unless we were at the buffet).
Now, my wife and I have travelled extensively in Central America, Asia and the carribean, but we've never stayed at an all-inclusive resort before. Perhaps this is expected behaivior from all-inclusives, since theoretically, they already have your money. One did get the impression that management was not interested in improving the service, because the lacksidaisical attitude was so pervasive. I saw employees role their eyes at patrons and plainly ignore requests of the guests. A couple of times they were downright rude. Again, maybe all-inclusives are notorious for this kind of attitude, because - let's face it - where are you going to go? But we were pretty shocked and can assure you we will think twice about an all-inclusive again. Certainly, Sunscape the beach should be avoided if you want good service. Again, we did enjoy it. the weather was beautiful, the ground were great and we were on vacation, but Sunscape did their best to mess with our good time :)
By the way, German, a bartender in the lobby building is great and an outlier among his peers. Another great thing about our trip was Dave. He was a piano player and singer in the lobby bar area. I believe he does that twice a week. Go see him and have a good time. The lobby bar has better service than the pool area, anyway. Feel free to email me with questions.
Getting to the hotel:
We booked through orbitz and had to arrange transportation to the hotel from the airport. It was kind of a pain to arrange, but there is a company called coco tours that will to transfers. If you need this service, they may be a good starting point. They charge $50-75 per couple, or per van if there are more of you. We saw them charge people more than that, too, so there seems to be some degree of flexibility depending on how gullible they think you are.
Lobby/Arrival:
The lobby and check in were great. No complaints. They bring you drinks, towels and cookies and are very nice.
Rooms:
The rooms themselves are a bit musty, but pretty much what you would expect based on what you're paying. There has been mention of bathrooms leaking and bizarre and inadequate shower glass/curtain on this site. All true. We know of two people who dealt with water leaking in their rooms and one couple had to deal with it for the last two days of their stay. They never came to fix it, though they said they would. This seems to be a pretty common theme for the service in this resort.
Grounds/Pool/Beach:
The grounds themselves are quite beautiful and well maintained. The pool is as advertised, and if anything, looks better in real life than in pictures.
The beach is pretty rocky and doesn't really compare to most carribean destinations, but you probably have pieced that together by now. We never saw a single person in the water the week we were there. The pool, however, diod make up for that, believe it or not.
One thing that was very annoying was that while you are chilling/basking in the sun, employees will come up to you - wake you up! - and yell, "You wann go for a horse back riding??!" and such solicitations. They are a little too pushy. I mean, should you really have to answer why you're not interested? These are actually employees of the hotel! So, there is a constant din of peddling while you lay by the pool. By aware and prepared for it.
The pool/covered huts being blocked/toweled by employees looking to make a few bucks has been discussed many times, but i will just confirm that it's true. Also true that people will come out at 6:30 am, put their things on chairs and then go back to bed...
Bars/Service:
Service at the poolside bar(s) was probably the worst thing in the whole resort, and in all fairness, that's saying a lot. We are compulsive tippers and tend to go by the rule that if you can tip beforehand to assure service, that's a pretty darn good idea. Well, there probably wasn't a lot of difference between the service with tip or without, and it was shockingly slow and indifferent.
Restaurants:
The restaurants were average. The japanese side of the asian restaurant has three hibatchi grills and, hence, seats 30 people total. Waits do tend to be long, but greasing of palms works wonders in this department. The food is tolerable. The chinese food - ditto. The mexican restaurant was not very good. One thing we didn't expect was that although almost all the people at the resort were english-speaking, the staff didn't understand english. We had heard this complaint before and found it pretty ethnocentric - I mean, we are in their country! But, the problem was compounded by the fact that the staff has apparently been trained to nod at the appropriate times and then forget about the request and under no circumstances will they ask for a clarification. My wife is vegetarian and I speak some spanish, yet we were singularly unable to succesfully get a vegetarian meal in all but one instance (unless we were at the buffet).
Now, my wife and I have travelled extensively in Central America, Asia and the carribean, but we've never stayed at an all-inclusive resort before. Perhaps this is expected behaivior from all-inclusives, since theoretically, they already have your money. One did get the impression that management was not interested in improving the service, because the lacksidaisical attitude was so pervasive. I saw employees role their eyes at patrons and plainly ignore requests of the guests. A couple of times they were downright rude. Again, maybe all-inclusives are notorious for this kind of attitude, because - let's face it - where are you going to go? But we were pretty shocked and can assure you we will think twice about an all-inclusive again. Certainly, Sunscape the beach should be avoided if you want good service. Again, we did enjoy it. the weather was beautiful, the ground were great and we were on vacation, but Sunscape did their best to mess with our good time :)
By the way, German, a bartender in the lobby building is great and an outlier among his peers. Another great thing about our trip was Dave. He was a piano player and singer in the lobby bar area. I believe he does that twice a week. Go see him and have a good time. The lobby bar has better service than the pool area, anyway. Feel free to email me with questions.
Read 3439 additional reviews of Dreams Punta Cana Hotel at TripAdvisor.
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Historical Traveller Reviews of Dreams Punta Cana Hotel
Good Time
from ctgirl13
Let me start by saying we had a fabulous time at Sunscape which is now Dreams. We booked ours through a travel agent and GoGo.
Check in- very easy and simple. We got off the bus to cold towels and when we went to the desk, we were offered cold juice. They take your luggage to your room for you and ours did not take long at all maybe 15 minutes.
Room- We were in building 9 and loved our location. We loved our room also. We had a honeymoon suite which i recommend because it was gorgeous clean and did not have any funky smells.
Bugs- we didnt have any trouble with bugs at all
Food- Our food was great everywhere we went our favorites were Dreams and Sea Side Grille. I didnt care for Oceana, they put on a great presentation of food and it looked good , but im not a seafood person.
Beach- not like Bavaro but the area around you is nicer and you are secluded and thats what we liked. We experienced rocks the first day but that was it. We laid to the left of the resort every other day and it was fun,
All and all we had a great vacation....the shows were kind of tacky but who cares your surrounded by bars....just get a drink and relax and be a little less judgemental. note- go see dave international in the lobby he was hilarious. great weather great food good people...what else can u ask for.
Check in- very easy and simple. We got off the bus to cold towels and when we went to the desk, we were offered cold juice. They take your luggage to your room for you and ours did not take long at all maybe 15 minutes.
Room- We were in building 9 and loved our location. We loved our room also. We had a honeymoon suite which i recommend because it was gorgeous clean and did not have any funky smells.
Bugs- we didnt have any trouble with bugs at all
Food- Our food was great everywhere we went our favorites were Dreams and Sea Side Grille. I didnt care for Oceana, they put on a great presentation of food and it looked good , but im not a seafood person.
Beach- not like Bavaro but the area around you is nicer and you are secluded and thats what we liked. We experienced rocks the first day but that was it. We laid to the left of the resort every other day and it was fun,
All and all we had a great vacation....the shows were kind of tacky but who cares your surrounded by bars....just get a drink and relax and be a little less judgemental. note- go see dave international in the lobby he was hilarious. great weather great food good people...what else can u ask for.
Beware for now!
from SR19087
This resort will become Dreams in December but is currently Sunscape in November. So I was there as Sunscape and the resort has really let themselves drop the ball until the new owners take over. Don't get me wrong, the resort was very nice, but has many problems to resolve. We went with our 2 boys who are 6 and 3.
Problems:
In our room the A/C worked when it felt like it. The fan in the bathroom was dead. The ceiling fan had no chain so you could not turn it on. None of these was a real big deal to us, but they are not the biggest problems. The book you will find in the room that describes the resort is very wrong. Not one restaurant had the proper time or dress code listed. Not a big deal since you do receive a daily sheet, but it was a big deal since that sheet was also very wrong. You would see things like "pants required and no children", but get there and see shorts and lots of kids. Also go to the restaurant to find out what time it is opening that day to avoid lines. Don't go by the schedule! The event times listed are also wrong. If you really want to do something, that day ask someone for the proper time and place. If not, you will either have the wrong place or time.
Enjoyed:
The resort is clean and very nice. The pool down the middle of the resort is great for everyone including kids. It is about 3.5' deep throughout the pool. The beach is also beautiful and soft. The ocean water was warmer than the pool! The people are also very nice and helpful if you are nice to them. (Be nice to get what you want. They don't always want a tip.) The kids club was enjoyed by both our kids. The staff there was very good with the boys. They really don't want 3 year olds, but they will take them. We gave them a few bucks to be nice since they took our 3 year old.
We went to relax and relax we did. The problems were many, but minor enough to not destroy the vacation. If you like to take long walks, avoid the Dominican Republic. The resorts don't want you to leave their grounds for safety reasons. I didn't mention the food since it was ok, but not great or bad.
Dreams is a good chain and I hope they bring this resort back to a top resort.
Problems:
In our room the A/C worked when it felt like it. The fan in the bathroom was dead. The ceiling fan had no chain so you could not turn it on. None of these was a real big deal to us, but they are not the biggest problems. The book you will find in the room that describes the resort is very wrong. Not one restaurant had the proper time or dress code listed. Not a big deal since you do receive a daily sheet, but it was a big deal since that sheet was also very wrong. You would see things like "pants required and no children", but get there and see shorts and lots of kids. Also go to the restaurant to find out what time it is opening that day to avoid lines. Don't go by the schedule! The event times listed are also wrong. If you really want to do something, that day ask someone for the proper time and place. If not, you will either have the wrong place or time.
Enjoyed:
The resort is clean and very nice. The pool down the middle of the resort is great for everyone including kids. It is about 3.5' deep throughout the pool. The beach is also beautiful and soft. The ocean water was warmer than the pool! The people are also very nice and helpful if you are nice to them. (Be nice to get what you want. They don't always want a tip.) The kids club was enjoyed by both our kids. The staff there was very good with the boys. They really don't want 3 year olds, but they will take them. We gave them a few bucks to be nice since they took our 3 year old.
We went to relax and relax we did. The problems were many, but minor enough to not destroy the vacation. If you like to take long walks, avoid the Dominican Republic. The resorts don't want you to leave their grounds for safety reasons. I didn't mention the food since it was ok, but not great or bad.
Dreams is a good chain and I hope they bring this resort back to a top resort.
Not Good...... Unless You Like Spiders, Wall Cracks, Lip Singers
from travelsA_LOT716
NOT GOOD UNLESS YOU LIKE SPIDERS, CRACKS, LIP SINGERS!!! My wife and I are experienced travelers and booked our trip through Apple Vacations. It was called a "square deal"...so we did not know what resort we would be staying at until we arrived at the airport. We where guaranteed that we would have a "Certified 6 Golden Apple" resort. However once we reached Sunscape The Beach we realized that "Certified 6 Golden Apple" obviously didnt mean what the travel agent and Apple Vacations said it means. Our room was on the first floor with a walk out to the very nice pool. Whats wrong with that you ask? The door didn't close properly and had half inch gaps on the sides and even larger gaps for all of the insects you could think of to walk in our suppossed "Certified 6 Golden Apple" room. We thought we could prevent this with bug spray 100% DEET! and towels stuffed in the door when we were gone....Not so much. Not one night went by that we didnt have to kill at least 3 spiders and even more misquitos. Malaria anyone?? Good thing we were already on preventative malaria meds!! Since this was suppossed to be our honeymoon we spent sometime trying to be romantic....too bad the large CRACK in our ceiling, and what appeared to be some sort of bugs nest on our ceiling ruined the mood. The garden spider we found in our bed didn't help matters much either on day 3!! Their satelite tv kept on going out and asking us to "Pay Now" for service every 30 minutes. ......WHY WOULD YOU BE WATCHING TV YOU ASK?? Well after the sub par dinner experience every night they had a themed show that involved lip singers, bad dancing and a horrible magic show. David Copperfield with a mullet anyone? The point is there was nothing to do after dark, the disco smelled like a port-a-potty and unless you where trying to work on your ping pong skills into the wee hours of the next morning, your only other option was to go outside and get harrassed by the vendors all selling the same turtle figures and cheap paintings. The good news was that the entertainment staff, and overall all of the staff where very friendly! During the day was a good time because the pool was VERY NICE. The ocean was nice to look at but due to rough waters and a rocky shoreline you couldnt walk out more than 10 feet. ........In summary; if you enjoy laying in the sun and resorts that make you feel like you got dropped off at 6th grade camp.....followed by the feeling of 'when are my parents coming to pick me up so I can get out of this prison....THEN go to Sunscape The Beach Punta Cana......If you are looking for a romantic getaway, or a real carribian vacation then DONT go here. I recommend St. Martin, St. Thomas, and Sandals Resorts.....Happy booking folks! Oh and did I mention this hotel is becoming Dreams Resort in December of 2k7!!??
Relaxing Family Vacation
from ntmr66
My family and I stayed from 11/18 to 11/24 and had a great time. Just as most reviews have stated, the grounds are beautiful and the staff was amazing. We had 2 ajoining rooms in building 4 with a pool view one for my husband and I and one for our 2 teen daughters.
This place is gorgious and everyone is so friendly. We flew out of Ohare (chicago). Going through Punta Cana Internation went a lot quicker then I had anticipated. The poverty was not quite as bad as I had expected, Jamica is much worse in my opinion. Our check in was quick and easy too. The big disapointment for me was the food. I do think it was just me because my family thought everything was fine, I just couldnt get used to there way of taste. Although, the Asian and the Dreams where very good. And finally, the beach, it's beautiful but it's not the caribian sea it's the atlantic and it shows. But, thats ok we still had an absolutley wonderful time.
This place is gorgious and everyone is so friendly. We flew out of Ohare (chicago). Going through Punta Cana Internation went a lot quicker then I had anticipated. The poverty was not quite as bad as I had expected, Jamica is much worse in my opinion. Our check in was quick and easy too. The big disapointment for me was the food. I do think it was just me because my family thought everything was fine, I just couldnt get used to there way of taste. Although, the Asian and the Dreams where very good. And finally, the beach, it's beautiful but it's not the caribian sea it's the atlantic and it shows. But, thats ok we still had an absolutley wonderful time.
not the same hotel
from thebreadman
Stayed in this hotel in 2005 & 2006 both fantastic . That is why we came back again . It is now looking tired and in need of repair . Gone are the fluffy white towels now worn and grey . We stayed in block 3 this time rooms now in need of a revamp stairs and corridors the same . The pathways between the blocks now becomming pitted and cracked and the gardens on that side of the complex are not maintained like they used to be . Then there was the main problem the Mosquitoes which took more blood than Dracula . No attempt was made to contain this menace the room were never spayed once in our two week stay and neither were the grounds If this hotel is going to be upgraded a lot of work needs to be done . Very disapointed this time
The Bread Man Bolton England
The Bread Man Bolton England
Great time, but not the best location
from travel2dive
Our family (2 kids 4 and 7) stayed there from Nov 12 to Nov 18.
We've previously stayed in all inclusives in Puerto Plata (DR) and Playa del Carmen (Mexico).
We decided to split our vacation between the 2 top-rated hotels for families in Punta Cana: the Sunscape and the Gran Bahia Principe.
For the price you pay for a stay in these all-inclusive hotels you can't get everything, so each resort makes a few trade-offs.
For the Sunscape the biggest tradeoff is its location, it's on the beach of Uvero Alto, which is about 20 minutes north of the famous Bavaro beach and definitely not as nice. The sand is a shade darker than the white of Bavaro and there are sharp rocks in the water. In Bavaro the beach is so nice you have 15 hotels next to each other. Almost no stretch is available for development.
In Uvera Alto (where the Sunscape is) there are very few other hotels nearby. I guess the real estate is not as appealing.
The second trade-off is in rooms. They were very small and very old-looking. The paint was pealing, the shower grout needed refreshing.
We were on the second floor and had a leak on the ceiling. We had to switch rooms. The new room was similar but with the (permanent) hair drier broken. We got a new (portable) one from the front desk.
Note that I hadn't upgraded for a better room or ocean view room which seemed nicer from the comments I read.
I certainly hope they redo all the rooms before the Dreams conversion, although they will still be small in the end.
For what this hotel lacks in rooms and beach quality they certainly make up in service and grounds.
First the most important for families is the kids club (Explorer Club). It's awesome. They will entertain your kids 3-12 from 9am to 10pm! Note that the late hours will be needed if you plan to go to the Dreams (gourmet) or Himitsu (Japanese) restaurant which don't allow kids. They have a great play area just for kids and the best entertainment program I've seen.
The grounds are beautiful with the pool snaking between the buildings. The size of the property is just right. The Gran Bahia is 3 times as big in comparison and gets crowded.
Even though the Sunscape is much smaller than the mega resorts of Bavaro beach the staff is about the same in size so you get more personal attention and the service in restaurants is better.
I enjoyed the buffet food more at the Sunscape, especially the chocolate croissants for breakfast and the smoked salmon and ham for dinner.
For those who don't like the buffets Sunscape is unique in not requiring reservations for "A la carte" restaurants. Dreams was definitely worth it. The japanese was ok. Oceana (seafood) was good.
Most resorts allow you only 2 or 3 per week.
None of us got sick there.
The resort caters more to Americans (and Canadians) than other resorst in Punta Cana.
In the end I had a great time for what I paid and I definitely want to try other Sunscapes/Dreams in Mexico next time.
We've previously stayed in all inclusives in Puerto Plata (DR) and Playa del Carmen (Mexico).
We decided to split our vacation between the 2 top-rated hotels for families in Punta Cana: the Sunscape and the Gran Bahia Principe.
For the price you pay for a stay in these all-inclusive hotels you can't get everything, so each resort makes a few trade-offs.
For the Sunscape the biggest tradeoff is its location, it's on the beach of Uvero Alto, which is about 20 minutes north of the famous Bavaro beach and definitely not as nice. The sand is a shade darker than the white of Bavaro and there are sharp rocks in the water. In Bavaro the beach is so nice you have 15 hotels next to each other. Almost no stretch is available for development.
In Uvera Alto (where the Sunscape is) there are very few other hotels nearby. I guess the real estate is not as appealing.
The second trade-off is in rooms. They were very small and very old-looking. The paint was pealing, the shower grout needed refreshing.
We were on the second floor and had a leak on the ceiling. We had to switch rooms. The new room was similar but with the (permanent) hair drier broken. We got a new (portable) one from the front desk.
Note that I hadn't upgraded for a better room or ocean view room which seemed nicer from the comments I read.
I certainly hope they redo all the rooms before the Dreams conversion, although they will still be small in the end.
For what this hotel lacks in rooms and beach quality they certainly make up in service and grounds.
First the most important for families is the kids club (Explorer Club). It's awesome. They will entertain your kids 3-12 from 9am to 10pm! Note that the late hours will be needed if you plan to go to the Dreams (gourmet) or Himitsu (Japanese) restaurant which don't allow kids. They have a great play area just for kids and the best entertainment program I've seen.
The grounds are beautiful with the pool snaking between the buildings. The size of the property is just right. The Gran Bahia is 3 times as big in comparison and gets crowded.
Even though the Sunscape is much smaller than the mega resorts of Bavaro beach the staff is about the same in size so you get more personal attention and the service in restaurants is better.
I enjoyed the buffet food more at the Sunscape, especially the chocolate croissants for breakfast and the smoked salmon and ham for dinner.
For those who don't like the buffets Sunscape is unique in not requiring reservations for "A la carte" restaurants. Dreams was definitely worth it. The japanese was ok. Oceana (seafood) was good.
Most resorts allow you only 2 or 3 per week.
None of us got sick there.
The resort caters more to Americans (and Canadians) than other resorst in Punta Cana.
In the end I had a great time for what I paid and I definitely want to try other Sunscapes/Dreams in Mexico next time.
Family Vacation to Sunscape/Dreams Punta Cana 11/12/07 to 11/19/07
from RRichard
For those of you who expect ritz carlton standards will be disappointed. For those of you who live in the real world - you can have a fantastic vacation at Dreams Punta Cana.
The service was outstanding - very personable and genuine, though language was a barrier in some cases, these people do their best to make sure you enjoy yourself.
The food, though not at a gourmet level, it was good. The Seaside grill at dinner was the only disappointment - we didn't eat dinner at the buffet so we can not comment on that. The other restaurants all managed to impress with their service and the food was good (Oceana seafood was okay).
The grounds were fantastic; there were palm trees, flamingos, parrots, little lizards, and lots of greenery. The beach was beautiful, chairs were more than ample; the only drawback being that the south end of the beach had a lot of rocks as you walk out into the water - the north end had no rock problem. The rooms were clean and well kept - we had no problem with the room.
For those WITH KIDS - the explorers club was OUTSTANDING. It was open from 9:00am until 5pm and then again from 6pm until 10pm. They had activities planned every day every 30 minutes - movies, beach volleyball, crafts, an ice cream party, dancing and games on stage some evenings, etc. There were a lot of kids in the program and we didn't hear anything but great comments. Every day our kids asked when they would get to go to the explorers club.
The sailing was fantastic, the rough waters really make it interesting in a small hobie cat if you get out far enough - be careful and make sure to hold on.
The bars were all over the place and there was almost always a bar open. BE SURE TO ASK FOR ALCOHOL IN YOUR MIXED DRINKS if you want it - they offer a non alcoholic versions and will not assume you want alcohol - better safe than sorry I guess?
The entertainment at night was as it is defined - entertaining. And the entertainment in the day was good too - there were activities planned throughout the day that you could participate in if you chose - spanish lessons, cocktail games, water balloon fights, volleyball, archery competitions, frisbee, etc.
PS - talk the vendors down considerably in price on everything. They will rip you off.
PPS - bring bug repellent for the evenings if you plan to be outside. We needed it twice on our trip for mosquitos.
The service was outstanding - very personable and genuine, though language was a barrier in some cases, these people do their best to make sure you enjoy yourself.
The food, though not at a gourmet level, it was good. The Seaside grill at dinner was the only disappointment - we didn't eat dinner at the buffet so we can not comment on that. The other restaurants all managed to impress with their service and the food was good (Oceana seafood was okay).
The grounds were fantastic; there were palm trees, flamingos, parrots, little lizards, and lots of greenery. The beach was beautiful, chairs were more than ample; the only drawback being that the south end of the beach had a lot of rocks as you walk out into the water - the north end had no rock problem. The rooms were clean and well kept - we had no problem with the room.
For those WITH KIDS - the explorers club was OUTSTANDING. It was open from 9:00am until 5pm and then again from 6pm until 10pm. They had activities planned every day every 30 minutes - movies, beach volleyball, crafts, an ice cream party, dancing and games on stage some evenings, etc. There were a lot of kids in the program and we didn't hear anything but great comments. Every day our kids asked when they would get to go to the explorers club.
The sailing was fantastic, the rough waters really make it interesting in a small hobie cat if you get out far enough - be careful and make sure to hold on.
The bars were all over the place and there was almost always a bar open. BE SURE TO ASK FOR ALCOHOL IN YOUR MIXED DRINKS if you want it - they offer a non alcoholic versions and will not assume you want alcohol - better safe than sorry I guess?
The entertainment at night was as it is defined - entertaining. And the entertainment in the day was good too - there were activities planned throughout the day that you could participate in if you chose - spanish lessons, cocktail games, water balloon fights, volleyball, archery competitions, frisbee, etc.
PS - talk the vendors down considerably in price on everything. They will rip you off.
PPS - bring bug repellent for the evenings if you plan to be outside. We needed it twice on our trip for mosquitos.
I already miss the sunscape
from zanita74
My husband and I went to the suncape for our two year anniversary and I could not have imagined a more enjoyable trip. I must admit after reading the majority of the reviews on trip advisor prior to leaving, I was very nervous. Once we arrived I realized that I had absolutely nothing to worry about. It does take about an hour to get back and fourth to the airport ( unless your driver is Rudy, he got us there in about 40 minutes ) but it gives you a chance to see the different culture and how lucky we have it here in the U.S. Once we arrived at the hotel we were greeted with juice and a cold towel, check in and check out was a breeze.
Our room was great, even better than we expected. We got the junior suite which had a Jacuzzi on the balcony. I was very happy with our choice, we had a couple days of rain in which the Jacuzzi came in very handy.
The staff is wonderful there, I don't think there was even a time that I passed one of the staff members and they did not greet you with a smile and say hola. Very pleasant and happy to help you with anything. There is always something to do to keep you entertained. Pillow fighting, shuffleboard contest, Volleyball, etc. Even if you didn't want to participate it was fun to just watch. The shows at night were fun to watch, ( even participated in a couple, on vacation, why not??)
The food was good, cant complain. We didn't get sick at all, even drank the water. Dreams was our favorite but the Japanese was a lot of fun and entertaining. World Cafe had a huge wonderful selection so you cant go wrong there. My husband and I had dinner on the beach on our anniversary evening and it was by far worth the extra. Strongly recommend it.
I was a little concerned about the language barrier since I speak no Spanish. I had absolutely nothing to worry about there either. When I ordered drinks at the bars had no trouble communicating what I wanted and the drinks were great. Leon at the barracuda bar was hilarious ( he says that his goal is to get people drunk ) and I'm sure that he has reached that goal several times.
The spa was wonderful as well, we got a couples hot stone massage and it was by far the best massage I've experienced. The casino was a lot of fun as well. There is a sports bar there with all kinds of different activities, tennis, pool, racquetball, you name it and its there. There was football to watch on the TV.
The only thing I can say that got old was the venders there. They can be very pushy, but you just learn to say no thanks and keep on walking if you are not interested. They are just trying to make a living but again it did get very old.
I would definitely go back in a heartbeat. I was very sad to leave. We were there from 11/9-11/16/07 and it just flew by.
Our room was great, even better than we expected. We got the junior suite which had a Jacuzzi on the balcony. I was very happy with our choice, we had a couple days of rain in which the Jacuzzi came in very handy.
The staff is wonderful there, I don't think there was even a time that I passed one of the staff members and they did not greet you with a smile and say hola. Very pleasant and happy to help you with anything. There is always something to do to keep you entertained. Pillow fighting, shuffleboard contest, Volleyball, etc. Even if you didn't want to participate it was fun to just watch. The shows at night were fun to watch, ( even participated in a couple, on vacation, why not??)
The food was good, cant complain. We didn't get sick at all, even drank the water. Dreams was our favorite but the Japanese was a lot of fun and entertaining. World Cafe had a huge wonderful selection so you cant go wrong there. My husband and I had dinner on the beach on our anniversary evening and it was by far worth the extra. Strongly recommend it.
I was a little concerned about the language barrier since I speak no Spanish. I had absolutely nothing to worry about there either. When I ordered drinks at the bars had no trouble communicating what I wanted and the drinks were great. Leon at the barracuda bar was hilarious ( he says that his goal is to get people drunk ) and I'm sure that he has reached that goal several times.
The spa was wonderful as well, we got a couples hot stone massage and it was by far the best massage I've experienced. The casino was a lot of fun as well. There is a sports bar there with all kinds of different activities, tennis, pool, racquetball, you name it and its there. There was football to watch on the TV.
The only thing I can say that got old was the venders there. They can be very pushy, but you just learn to say no thanks and keep on walking if you are not interested. They are just trying to make a living but again it did get very old.
I would definitely go back in a heartbeat. I was very sad to leave. We were there from 11/9-11/16/07 and it just flew by.
Fun Family Vacation
from Widetraveler
Just returned a week ago from Sunscape (which is becoming a Dreams hotel). The highlight of our stay was the employees - everyone was uniformly friendly and helpful, and were particularly fond of our two kids, aged 9 and almost 8. The resort itself was beautiful - great meandering pool, magnificent beach, and super spa. Magnificent lobby. Rooms were nice - I don't know why people on this site complained. Very well organized excursion desks, transportation to/from airport.
The kids spent most of their time playing on the inflatable "iceberg" in the pool. Swim up bar was fun, as were periodic water volleyball, beach volleyball. Water was nice and warm but a bit rough in the ocean - kids definitely need adult supervision and hand holding - even the adults got knocked over by the waves once in awhile. Sand at the beach was soft, chairs comfy with thatched roof shades. Massages, steam room, sauna, showers and waterfall jacuzzi in the spa were great !
The food was only fair:
Japanese hibachi: The best of the group but only three rooms, so you have to get there early (before 7AM).
Chinese: 2nd best - some good dishes, some fair. A bit noisy due to the activities in the adjacent Japanese area. Also have to get there early.
Italian: Pretty good (adjacent to the buffet area).
Buffet: Fine for breakfast and lunch, decent for dinner.
Oceana seafood: Not good. Everything tasted like it had been frozen, then overcooked.
Dreams(?): Adults only - didn't get to try it out.
Mexican: Never tried it, based on reviews from this site. Others who did, said it wasn't good.
Nightly shows were hit-and-miss but the performers did try hard and the kids enjoyed them. The couples competition was hysterical (balloon popping, unique filling of cup with water, etc.).
I don't want to sound snobby, but some of the guests were a bit loud, some not in very good shape, a few dressed slobbily for dinner. I guess that comes will "all inclusives". Some were nasty at the Japanese restaurant due to the wait.
We took one excursion, a half day snorkeling. One hour bus ride, then catamaran to a coral reef (pretty nice) and second stop at an enclosure housing nurse sharks and rays. This was awesome. Totally safe and exciting. Three female dancers on board were quite attractive and entertaining, between snorkeling stops and on the way back to shore. A nice diversion. Music was way too loud, though. Do they think the tourists are all deaf, or want to become deaf on their vacation?
The island is terribly poor, lots of people living in tin shacks. Sad to see, but hopefully vacationing there puts some money into the economy via salaries of the employees.
If you meet up with the right people, like we did (two other families from NJ), or if you just want to relax, you'll have a great time! The place is very nice and upgrading it to a Dreams (and eventually a higher price point, I expect) should make it even better.
The kids spent most of their time playing on the inflatable "iceberg" in the pool. Swim up bar was fun, as were periodic water volleyball, beach volleyball. Water was nice and warm but a bit rough in the ocean - kids definitely need adult supervision and hand holding - even the adults got knocked over by the waves once in awhile. Sand at the beach was soft, chairs comfy with thatched roof shades. Massages, steam room, sauna, showers and waterfall jacuzzi in the spa were great !
The food was only fair:
Japanese hibachi: The best of the group but only three rooms, so you have to get there early (before 7AM).
Chinese: 2nd best - some good dishes, some fair. A bit noisy due to the activities in the adjacent Japanese area. Also have to get there early.
Italian: Pretty good (adjacent to the buffet area).
Buffet: Fine for breakfast and lunch, decent for dinner.
Oceana seafood: Not good. Everything tasted like it had been frozen, then overcooked.
Dreams(?): Adults only - didn't get to try it out.
Mexican: Never tried it, based on reviews from this site. Others who did, said it wasn't good.
Nightly shows were hit-and-miss but the performers did try hard and the kids enjoyed them. The couples competition was hysterical (balloon popping, unique filling of cup with water, etc.).
I don't want to sound snobby, but some of the guests were a bit loud, some not in very good shape, a few dressed slobbily for dinner. I guess that comes will "all inclusives". Some were nasty at the Japanese restaurant due to the wait.
We took one excursion, a half day snorkeling. One hour bus ride, then catamaran to a coral reef (pretty nice) and second stop at an enclosure housing nurse sharks and rays. This was awesome. Totally safe and exciting. Three female dancers on board were quite attractive and entertaining, between snorkeling stops and on the way back to shore. A nice diversion. Music was way too loud, though. Do they think the tourists are all deaf, or want to become deaf on their vacation?
The island is terribly poor, lots of people living in tin shacks. Sad to see, but hopefully vacationing there puts some money into the economy via salaries of the employees.
If you meet up with the right people, like we did (two other families from NJ), or if you just want to relax, you'll have a great time! The place is very nice and upgrading it to a Dreams (and eventually a higher price point, I expect) should make it even better.
Loved it
from TanyaJersey
My first trip to Dominican Republic and definately not my last!!
The hotel was so clean - all day everyday you just saw people cleaning and looking after the gardens. The pool was amazing and cleaned all the time aswell. The staff were the most friendliest I have ever encountered on holiday ever.
We arrived late in the evening and ordered room service, which was lovely. However our balcony door didn't lock, the shower was broken and we had an ice machine outside our bedroom, which was obviously not well!! so made loads of noise. The next morning we went to reception to tell them this and the receptionist said he could fix the shower and the door, but not the ice machine and immediately offered to re-locate us - but we would have to wait a couple of hours - which we agreed to. We went back to the room one hour later and the balcony door and the shower had been fixed (even though we were moving) I was impressed.
The rest of the stay was excellent - my only bug bear was the floats in the pool - the rule is when you have finished leave them for other people to use, which is what we did. However, there were loads of people each morning gathering them up and putting them under their sunbeds and not using them for hours!! ( we even witnessed people taking them up to their room of a night and hiding them under towels on their sunbeds!!) a new supervisor of the entertainment team had started whilst we were there and went around the pool removing any floats that people had hidden and throwing them into the pool - whenever I felt like laying on a float - I just walked up to people and asked could I please use your float l which was always answered with a yes- although hesitantly, cause they weren't their floats.
Fernando came around the pool everyday giving massages - which was brilliant - and the SPA was excellent.
Dave - the Jamaician who played in the upstairs lobby piano bar was soooooooo funny he definatly made our holiday (although not advertised enough in the hotel) you have to be very broad minded as it is for adults only (he is brilliant)
The rooms, the staff, the cleanliness, the hotel overall was definately 5 star - but the food was 3 star - the japenese, chinese and mexican were not as their name suggested! The japenese, chinese or mexican, but were all edible but notas their name suggested - Dreams was excellent the World Cafe had something on offer for everybody but because it was so big it was like a school canteen .
All in all a great place - but they need to work on the food.
The hotel was so clean - all day everyday you just saw people cleaning and looking after the gardens. The pool was amazing and cleaned all the time aswell. The staff were the most friendliest I have ever encountered on holiday ever.
We arrived late in the evening and ordered room service, which was lovely. However our balcony door didn't lock, the shower was broken and we had an ice machine outside our bedroom, which was obviously not well!! so made loads of noise. The next morning we went to reception to tell them this and the receptionist said he could fix the shower and the door, but not the ice machine and immediately offered to re-locate us - but we would have to wait a couple of hours - which we agreed to. We went back to the room one hour later and the balcony door and the shower had been fixed (even though we were moving) I was impressed.
The rest of the stay was excellent - my only bug bear was the floats in the pool - the rule is when you have finished leave them for other people to use, which is what we did. However, there were loads of people each morning gathering them up and putting them under their sunbeds and not using them for hours!! ( we even witnessed people taking them up to their room of a night and hiding them under towels on their sunbeds!!) a new supervisor of the entertainment team had started whilst we were there and went around the pool removing any floats that people had hidden and throwing them into the pool - whenever I felt like laying on a float - I just walked up to people and asked could I please use your float l which was always answered with a yes- although hesitantly, cause they weren't their floats.
Fernando came around the pool everyday giving massages - which was brilliant - and the SPA was excellent.
Dave - the Jamaician who played in the upstairs lobby piano bar was soooooooo funny he definatly made our holiday (although not advertised enough in the hotel) you have to be very broad minded as it is for adults only (he is brilliant)
The rooms, the staff, the cleanliness, the hotel overall was definately 5 star - but the food was 3 star - the japenese, chinese and mexican were not as their name suggested! The japenese, chinese or mexican, but were all edible but notas their name suggested - Dreams was excellent the World Cafe had something on offer for everybody but because it was so big it was like a school canteen .
All in all a great place - but they need to work on the food.
Top Local Tips for Punta Cana
Airport The airport is a zoo!! If you have a pre-arranged transfer, be sure to find the right person who is there to meet you. When leaving, be sure to get to the airport with plenty of time to check in. The $20 departure tax (which we were told was intended as a benefit of booming tourism to the local community and was supposed to be returned to the municipality to improve education and infrastructure, is being pocketed by the owner of the Punta Cana airport - Julio Iglesias!!!) was included in our ticket but some people were confused and paid it, only to have to get a refund.
From The Airport It is a long ride but will worth it when you see the resort. Set up round trip ground transportation before you leave. They will take care of everything. The outside vendors that come on the resort and nice but try to rip you off. Be careful. Tip everyone, you will see that they all deserve it! Go on the Caribbean Festival Excursion. Lastly, relax and have a great time DR is a beautiful country.
Eat a little but try everything!!! Make sure you try all the restaurants.....They were all very good.... The fruit was great everyday and make sure you visit the fruit stand on the way to the pool or the beach.... The barbeque is great if you don't want to leave the beach or the pool....GREAT!!!
- (hotels)
Other names for Dreams Punta Cana Hotel
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- Address: Playas Uvero Alto - Punta Cana - Dominican Republic
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- (hotels)
Hotels Near Dreams Punta Cana Hotel
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Hotel Catalonia Bavaro Resort Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Distance: 29.9 km / 18.6 mi
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Golden Bear Lodge & Spa Cap Cana Hotel Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Distance: 37.3 km / 23.2 mi
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Sivory Punta Cana Hotel Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Distance: 2.4 km / 1.5 mi
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Tortuga Bay Hotel Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Distance: 38.5 km / 23.9 mi
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Natura Park Resort & Spa Hotel Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Distance: 27.7 km / 17.2 mi
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Punta Cana Resort & Club Hotel Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Distance: 37.3 km / 23.2 mi
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Grand Oasis Punta Cana Hotel Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Distance: 28 km / 17.4 mi
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Dreams Palm Beach Hotel Higuey, Dominican Republic Distance: 30.8 km / 19.1 mi
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Melia Caribe Tropical Hotel Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic Distance: 22.5 km / 14 mi
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Iberostar Bavaro Resort Hotel Higuey, Dominican Republic Distance: 24.8 km / 15.4 mi
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VIK Hotel Arena Blanca Carretera Arena Gorda Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Distance: 17.5 km / 10.9 mi
