Gran Ventana Beach Resort - Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Gran Ventana Beach Resort, Dominican Republic hotel review Visited: November 2010

Posted by llej04

This hotel is great. I have stayed here a lot of times. I hope they send me specials.

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Gran Ventana Beach Resort, Dominican Republic hotel review Visited: October 2009

Posted by janaways29

Our family just returned from 12 days at this resort, and it was excellent. The hotel, staff, service, food, drink, pool, and beach were all great.

The reason for rating this four rather than five stars was because of a couple of very minor things. The bedrooms, although very spacious and clean, needed updating. In addition, the evening entertainment was good, but a bit dated.

Please do not be put off by these minor things, as this is a great value for the money. It was a resort that my family will definitely go back to. I recommend it, and feel it was worth the nine-hour flight.

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Gran Ventana Beach Resort, Dominican Republic hotel review Visited: June 2007

Posted by neilmorgan

I just returned from Gran Ventana where I went to get married.

The resort was beautiful. It was very clean, and well maintained with beautiful gardens and a wonderful white sandy beach. It also had a perfect clear blue sea and some lovely coral for top snorkeling.

There was plenty of selection in the food and drink, and most of the staff seemed to work very hard to keep guests entertained.

However, while I was here, we were checked into the Beata building. It was facing the road at the back of the hotel. At first all was fine until the music from the night club started - "boom, boom, boom" - until 4:30 am! This was my first night.

I asked to move, and was accommodated straight away. In our new room we could still hear the music, but it didn't stop us from sleeping.

Then, a day after the wedding, I had 8,000 Dominican Pesos (£160) and £50 stirling stolen from the room. I reported this to reception, and then the police. I was told I could wait three to five hours, and then pay £100 and obtain a police report. It was not worth it.

Also, beware of people selling you things in and around the resort. The exchange rate is very poor, and everyone is out to make a killing out of you.

Apart from the incidents I mentioned earlier, it was a good hotel.
Just be careful!

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Gran Ventana Beach Resort, Dominican Republic hotel review Visited: May 2007

Posted by mrsthowells

My husaband and I enjoyed one week at the Gran Ventana, and we came away feeling very chilled out.

From the moment we arrived, we were presented with an efficient service from very happy, friendly people.

Everywhere was clean. They had three sections to the buffet restaurant, and two were used while one was being cleaned. They did this on a rotation.

Being a vegetarian, I was a little concerned about what food to expect. There was something for everyone. Some foods were cooked to order - like omlettes, eggs, smoothies and waffles.
Lunch time seemed no different from dinner, with a large quantity and a vast array of food.

The beach was beautiful with white sand and turquiose waters, and they cleaned it of debris every morning. However, on the beach, you need to get up at 5:30 a.m to get a parasol as there was a gentle breeze and many people burned.

The rooms were clean and functional, and were serviced by the friendly maids each day. We tipped $1 a day as they are not paid very much. Some tour reps will collect any unwanted toiletries and give them to the maids.

The entertainment team was great. They were very friendly and very enthusiastic. They worked long hours and put a lot of effort into what they do. I liked the fact that if guests were interested in joining in aqua aerobics or the bike tour - great. But they didn't push you to participate.

To sum up, they had great staff, it was very clean, they served fabulous food, and it was a great place. We hope to go next year, and this time take the children.

One final note: The porters at the airport will try to extract as much cash from you as posible. We were asked for $10, some $20. He picked our case up, and put it on the coach. He even put ours on the wrong coach. Try to have a $1 bill to hand out, and keep a close eye on your case.

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