| | Bavaro, Punta Cana, 4048, Dominican Republic
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Overall Community Rating: |   9.9 (based on 2 user reviews) |
 Caribe Club Princess: Paradise Found! by Cliff Thornton |
| Posted 03 August 2008 about a visit in July 2008 | Overall rating: 9.9 |
17-31 July, 2008. We are a family of four with a son of 12 and a daughter of 10 from London, UK. We have previously read lots of reviews of the Tropical Princess, some good and some bad. All those people who were not happy with the resort need to seek help – where have you been before? The room was superb, the maid service even better, food and waiters were well beyond our expectations, pools and beach clean and fantastic. The weather was superb for 14 days, and we had an absolute blast. We ate at the buffet and could always find something interesting and delicious – full marks there! We would cheerfully have stayed another month without running out of things to do and all were very sad to return home (yesterday!).
We loved speaking (dreadful) Spanish to the staff and were very grateful for their enthusiasm and assistance. We admired the animation (entertainment) staff who worked all day then moved to the Serenata Theatre to entertain us in the evenings.
With regard to Thomson, I am not sure that we would book with them again. The flight to Punta Cana was good and the transfers on time but advice from the resort rep proved inaccurate and expensive. A big deal was made of the Anton Zilli food, which turned out to be stewed sausage and mash or inedible pasta. The flight home was bitterly cold, devoid of any explanation but with lots of blankets distributed.
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 Caribe Club Princess Reservations |
| Caribe Club Princess: 13TH - 20TH APRIL 2005 - BEST HOLIDAY EVER AMAZING!! by Rachael Thornley |
| Posted 18 May 2005 about a visit in July 2005 | Overall rating: 10.0 |
Would just like to start off by saying this was the best holiday i have ever been on and i felt like i was dreaming when i got there. AMAZING!! I am 20 years old took my mum for her 40th as a present and she loved it too.
FLIGHT & PUNTA CANA AIRPORT - We flew from Manchester Airport at 9.30 am and the flight was good alot quicker than we thought 8 hours and it went pretty quick as we watched bridget jones 2, we had 2 meals on the plane as it was a long flight but they were great meals. We flew with thomas cook. Arrived at the Airport which did not look like an airport it was stunning, there were little huts made out of straw. As we got into the airport we were greeted by 2 ladies dressed in tropical outfits and had our pic taken. Had to pay $20 tax to get into the country. Keep the other little slip as they ask you for it on the way home. Our luggage came off very quick less than 5minutes (alot more organised than manchester anyway)!! Took about 30minutes to get to our hotel after dropping off other people at other hotels we were the last. Arrived at hotel 5.00pm.
RECEPTION - Large beautiful lobby area with comfy chairs and a bar that is open till about 1am. The staff at the reception are very friendly and do speak english!! We were greeted with a coctail as we checked in very nice!! Paid $20 for a safe its best to get one just incase, not that we had any problems as everyone seemed lovely and trustworthy. There is an interne cafe in the lobby area not sure how much it was but prob no too expensive. Had our suitcases taken to our rooms and was taken to our room by a little bus that starts at the lobby and drives past the main restaurant then to all the rooms. Very handy if you don't want to walk but the gardens are so nice you just want to walk and have a look round.
ROOMS - Very pleased with our rooms we asked for a pool view which we got ( overlooking the tropical princess pool which is the quietest). Very big double beds which were very comfy. Lovely bathroom which was stocked with clean towels everyday. The maid was lovely we didnt tip everyday but when we left we left her a good tip and some chocs. The fridge was stocked everyday with more soft drinks coke and sprite and bottles of water. Nicely decorated room with air conditioning which was a bonus as it was so hot outside.
POOLS - There are 3 large pools the quietest at the tropical princess side which had a lovely bridge in the middle and a bar at the top with a shallow bit for the kids. This pool had no music or entertainment so if you just want to relax this is your best bet. The middle pool was the smallest with a jacuzzi and the pancake and ice cream restaurant were next to it. They had activities all day long at this pool ranging from water polo, darts and table tennis. The other pool is where most of the activities are held and has music and things going on all the time, this is also where you get your towels from and mini golf clubs and balls.THere is a swim up bar at this pool which is really good. There are also spanish lessons held in the mornings we learnt a few things from it!! The staff are so funny and amazing they keep everyone entertained all day and night. They really appreciate their jobs. We took part in salsa lessons which was fun and other dancing lessons. If you sit round the busy pool the activity people are likely to get you up dancing or doing water polo or something. Its all fun and games.
WEATHER - The weather was amazing so hot but a little breeze which was nice. It was about 34degrees all week. We had one night where it rained for about an hour on and off but this was about 11pm. We caught the sun really well i go pretty dark if id of been there for 2weeks i would of looked like id of been there a month it was that hot. We caught the sun mostly walking along the beach so be careful and put your suncream on. I took oil with me but dint end up using less that a 15 as it was too hot.
BEACH - What can i say truly AMAZING this is what this place is renowned for its beaches. I have to agree they are really stunning. Powder white sands and crystal clear blue sea. The sea was a little wavy at times due to the watersports but nice to have a dip to cool off. There is a watersports center where you can hire banana boats, peddle bikes (water ones) and other motorised water sports. I would recommend getting up early to reserve a hut and chairs on the beach as they all get taken early about 7am before breakfast. Everyone comes and puts their towels on them and goes for brekkie.we were up most days for 6am it is nice to see the sun come up. The beach is cleaned of seeweed about 6am by the hotel gardening staff, they are so clean and always picking this up and making sure everything is spotless.
GROUNDS - These were kept spotless there was always someone looking after the plants or cutting the grass with a knife which i thought was strange.The walk from the lobby to the room is great you feel like your in a little jungle with soft carribean music playing from little speakers hidden in the bushes. There are security gards around the grounds all day and night making sure evrything is ok and nobody that shouldn't be in the resort is kept out. They make it feel very safe.
FOOD & DRINK- There are so many places to eat i cannot remember then all there is a main restaurant which has everything you could want. A chinese, Italain, Mexican, Dominican, Brazilian,seafood and a crepe restaurant. We eat in the main one most nights as it had a wide variety of foods from chips, spag bol, meats, cheese, fruits, omlettes, fresh bread there was something for everyone. If you cannot find something you like in here there must be something wrong with you. We also eat at the chinese which had a supplement of $7 but was well worth it. We had sushi to start then spring rolls and other starters kebabs, then main meal which we had chicken curry and another beef dish which was lovely and rice. Then to finish we had a fruit salad with lovely fresh fruit and a fortune cookie. We also tried the crepe one in the day before we went in to get changed this had lovely crepes with a good selection of fillings from fruits and syrups to meats and hot sauces. These were lovely we didnt discover this place until about our 4th day. They also serve nice icecreams mint choc chip and rum and raisan were my fave.In the day the seafood restaurant has fruit and salads and outside there is a bbq with chicken and burgers which were very nice. The service in all the restaurants we tried were great and the staff were all akways very friendly with a huge smile. They don't all understand english very well so be patient wih them. We did tip now and again we got a load of $1's to tip. They had a different theme in the main restaurant every night and changed the foods slightly but everything was nice and we had no problems with anything. The breakfast was great aswell they had everything from cereal, bread, omlettes, meats and fresh fruit. As for drinks they were always asking if you wanted more tea/coffee with your meal or wine. They have nearly evry drink you could ask for we stuck mostly to what we know and wine or had a few coctails from the menu. There are about 7 bars in total all serving alcohol, there is a 24hour bar at the beach where the seafood restaurant is. The lobby bar has music until about 12.30am which gets busy but there is never more than a couple of minutes wait.
STAFF: - Well what can i say these lovely people really do appreciate their jobs. I have never met such friendly people who have a smile on their faces all day long. Most of them work every hour god sends and still go around singing ang putting a smile on our faces. The activity people are great we talked to them all everyday and took part in activities one of them said he has 4 hours sleep a night, but they really do not care as they all say they love their jobs. I think i would love my job if it was working there. They really do not stop these people they are always singing and dancing and trying to get everyone to enjoy and make the most out of their holiday. The staff who do the activities are also the staff that put on the nightly shows which are great.
NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT: - There are shows in the senerata theatre next to the main restaurant which start at 9:00 but dont really get going till about 9.15 which are good. some nights they will just have a movie showing and others there will be competitions and kids shows. In the main theater next to the lobby the shows start at 10:00pm these brilliant and so much hard work has gone into them. the dancers are amazing and so it the choreographer. The dancers must train s hard they look so professional. We went to a show every night and it was a different one all the time. There was a dominican carnival, comedy night, mtv, opera show, gothic show where they do michael jackson thriller that is great. These are well worth going to and you will see the familair faces from the daytime activity staff. Then after the shows everyone goes to the lobby bar for a disco and a drink. Then if you are feeling energetic go to the aerito disco just at the front of the hotel. It plays a mix of modern rnb and alot of spanish music. The drinks are free until 12.30 after that you have to pay for them. Go and check it out its a good laugh. You get the odd local in there but they are harmless. One night all the hotels around bavaro held a open air dance competition at the casino round the corner. I wish i had a camcorder because this was something you dont see everyday the dancers from all the hotels were amazing our hotel ended up coming 3rd but there was good competition. This is held once a year and the winners won $10,000 between them. A great night!!
SHOPPING - There are a few shops in the resort near the lobby which sell tshirts,sunglasses, post cards, sweets etc these shops are very overpriced. Don't worry if you want to get these things but d not want to pay these prices walk about a mile down either side of the beach and you will come to huts with people selling things. TIP: They will get their calculators out and ask you how much you want to pay, just let them give you a price. Then the tell you to type the price you want in, our rep told us this try and get them down to a 1/3 of the price they ask it does work. They try and see if you will pay that price but dont, you have to barter. They asked for $180 for a painting i liked i ended up getting them down $55 what a bargain it is beautiful well worth the money. If you pick something up they want you to buy it so be careful even if you say you dont have money on you they will let you take the stuff and come back with the money. Very trustworthy would they do that in england i dont think so!! There is also a little village next to a seafood restaurant called captain cooks you walk through it and there is a big supermarket and some shops which have good prices. Captain Cooks was recommended by a few people to us so if you like seafood give it a try.
EXCURSIONS: - We did not try any of the excursions as we had so much to do in the week and so little time. There was a dolphin trip, scuba diving, Jeep Safari, horse riding you name it they had it.
A few last points girls if you like your hair straight the weather is a nightmare too hot and once you have done your hair and walk outside it is too humid and your hair will just go wavy it was mad i ended up putting my hair up all the time which i wasn't happy about!! My straightners were too powerful for the sockets so kept going off after a minute or so kept having to plug them in and wait. In the end i gave up!! As for bites we did get a few bites to bring insect repellant we did take malaria tablets and seem to be fine.The majority of people speak spanish, we did not meet many english people alot were american or french.
Good luck and enjoy your holiday i am sure you will have a great time. I am going to go back next year as it was so good. I didnt want to come home.
If you have any questions please contact me.
Cheers
Rachael
This review is the opinion of a diytravel.co.uk user and not of diytravel.co.uk. |
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| Caribe Club Princess Reservations |
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Caribe Club Princess: Bathroom