Where do I start???
I stayed at the Gran Ventana from March 3rd-10th.
I went with a friend. We arrived at 12 pm, if you get there early be prepared to wait for a room until 3 pm. I'd pack a bathing suit and some shorts to change into when you get there, no big deal it was only 3 hours.

The room we had was in the Beata building near the quiet pool, it was overall a nice room, the balcony was nice, we had a room facing the street where the Roadway Bar is, open until 5 am the music was loud but we dealt with it, didn't stop us from sleeping.
The place is so clean, everytime you leave your room you see cleaners, the cleaning staff did a very good job.

The 2nd day we booked our 3 a la carte meals...starting with the Octopus...it was very good, i got the farmer's steak with potatoes and grilled veggies, I really liked it. The second restaurant was the Italian one, It was good but the least favourite out of the 3. The Oceangrill was my fav, make sure you try the chocolate mouse dessert, it's fantastic! :D

The beach is very nice and you can snorkel and see very nice fish about 6 feet from the shore, it was a fantastic experience for me. There are people selling things everywhere, at least every 10 minutes someone asks you to look @ their merchandise, you just say "No thanks" and they'll leave you alone.

The entertainment staff is amazing. They have international dancers and very fun activities for the tourists. Every night it was different and they had something for everyone to enjoy. Just a quick note though, since the entertainment was so good if you didn't go before 830 pm, you usually have a hard time finding a seat.

My friend and I visited most of the local bars around the resort, don't be afraid to leave, the people are extremely friendly and just love to have a good time. My fav bar was Coco Bongo's, they play a lot of top 40 music and have a good dance floor. The roadway is closest to the Hotel and is pretty fun too although it gets really busy really fast. Hemmingway's is a super nice club but is fairly new and not very busy, you'll notice that there's a rep from the club at the Gran Ventana to try and push Hemmingways, it's pretty dead there every night.

The plaza has some really good deals for t-shirts and souveniers, people will tell you about the orange market on the beach, I went and found it cheaper just to go to the plaza, t-shirts are like 9 bux, and it's a little less pushy than the orange market....if you like to barter the Orange market is your place.

The buffet food at the resort was amazing, they had over 20 items to chose from everynight and a whole section for desserts and ice cream. The icecream is delicious make sure you try the chocolate and the yellow one (don't know what kind it was) The buffet included chicken made different ways, potatoes, carrots, chicken nuggetts, all sorts of fish, they had lunch meats @ lunch time, always had hot dogs, burgers, chicken on the grill, they made homemade waffles for breakfast (they were amazing) usually they had french fries with every meal, all sorts of different breads, bacon, eggs, pork chops, soup, pastas of all sorts....You definately don't have to worry about not finding something you like.

The people of the D.R are absolutely amazing, these people have so little and yet wake up with a smile on their face and just want to be acknowledged. Just a simple "Ola" makes them happy.

I went to Ocean world as well, swam with the dolphins, it was the most amazing experience ever, there's sharks, birds, tigers, fish and sea lions....I had a great time there and it was definately worth the 145 bux.

All in all, the Gran Ventana is an amazing resort and I would reccommend it to anyone, I will definately be returning there and can't wait to start planning.

OH! A few things to make sure to bring, immodiam, sun tan & sun screen, if you forget those things, you will pay an arm and a leg for these things anywhere in the D.R, and if you've got the PPS (Puerta Plata Splata) ahaha, you'll pay it.

Hope this review was helpful and you enjoy your stay @ the Gran Ventana, I know I did!!!!

We just got back from the Gran Ventana in Puerto Plata and had a Fantastic 2 weeks,The staff, food, entertainment, activities, all were above par. We were in the Beata Building which is were the Quiet Pool is located, The room was great and well maintained, however if you aren't going for the night life, Strongly suggest booking the Catolina, or Samona buildings as the Beata is furthest from the beach and surrounded by Discos so it is very noisy untill approx.2 A.M.
We are Snowbirds and like to be up early to get as much Sun as Possible when we go.
Also strongly suggest booking the 2nd or 3rd floors (no elevators) as we always had to keep our patio door curtains closed as security and maintenance are covering the grounds 24/7.
The ala carte restaurants are excellent although you must like sea food for the Ocean Grill as my wifes tenderloin was so tough that she couldn't even cut it with her steak knife. I had the Mahi Mahi and it was superb.
2Years ago we stayed at the Occidental Grand Flamenco (Now the Barcelo Premium) next door to the Gran Ventana and this trip was 100 times better than our stay there.
A word of caution though please rasearch were you are staying as we found most of the resorts in the Playa Dorada Complex have change ownership and names, But you can't beat the Gran Ventana.

We stayed at the Gran Ventana from Feb 20th to March 5th. We travelled as a couple. We booked with Portland D irect part of tui group and had a good flight out. We were delayed an hour due to the freezing fog in Manchester however the pilot made up the time and we arrived on time. When we arrived we were given a welcome drink and the cases were taken to our room. I had read the reports and emailed ahead to request a room in the sanoa building. We were however given a room in the beata building number 3338 which overlooked a field which we latter discovered was the landing pad for the helicopters. We used to watch the helicopters taking off and landing each day. Our first impression of the room was oh dear what a let down, we had been spoilt the last 2 years in Mexico and was a bit of a let down when compared. Dont compare I never will again each country is different. We thought never mind we will give it a try and if we dont like it we would request another room next day.

The furniture in the room was new the beds were new the bedcover was a little shabby and the bathroom was shabby the sheets and towels though were spoltless. it is in need of an update but when you think how many people use the rooms in a year then there is no wonder they look worn and tired. It was however spotless clean. We showered and went for our evening meal to the buffet which was very good. There was not as much choice as the Rui hotels but the food was good. We retired to bed and had a really good nights sleep. The beds were king size and the most comfortable we have stayed in when abroad. We had to sleep with the air con on as it was very hot , this was very quiet though and didnt disturb our sleep. We decided not to change rooms as there was no noise no smell no nothing at our room it was very good apart from the shabby dated tiles but what the heck you only shower in the room. We are glad we stayed in that block as some other guests were unhappy with the noise in their rooms and we could have heard a pin drop at night.
The a la carte resturants were excellent the staff are excellent from the maids to the security guards. everyone is so happy they all say holla as soon as they see you they are by far the nicest people I have ever met, nothing was too much trouble for them. The maids cleaned while midnight everyday and the toilets were always spoltless not matter how many people used them. The gardeners swept up the fallen leaves all the time and the grounds are immaculate. The garden will climb a tree and get you a coconut for a dollar tip.

We went to the beach every morning as the wheather was too hot to lay in and the breeze at the beach was a gods send. We used to move to the pool in the afternoon when the wind got up which it usually did each day at the same time at the beach. We could always get a sun lounger and carnt see why people have to moan. The hotel is not five star but then which one is. They are not the same equivelence as the stars awarded at home and most people dont understand this. What more could you want the sun was hot the beach was brill the food good the drinks were excellent they were not watered down as they are in some resorts it was an excellent hotel for the money we paid, problem with most people is they want the world for nothing at the end of the day you get what you pay for and the gran ventana is worth what you pay. It beats going to europe in the high rise shabby hotels there so go on give it a go, I will be going back next year.

Give the monster truck a go you will not be disappointed. I took pencils and chalks with me which I bought in England, i bought a large bag of chew type sweets in the plaza to also take on the trip with me. our guide was Oto he was brill and kept the drinks flowing all day long. i gave the pencils etc to the principle of the school that we visited the sweets i kept and threw them to the kids on the way back as they are the ones that never get much. it was great to see their little faces when you gave them something. they are the happiest people I have come across they just stop what they are doing and wave to you and they have nothing. I now that they know no different but it really makes you appreciate what we have got even down to running water, dont know how I would cope without I certainly would not be as happy as those people they are great .

Any way go give it a go travel with an open mind and dont think you are going to get the comforts that you get at home. Enjoy your self I am sure you will as this is what holidays are for. We have the comforts but they have the happines and the sun and a beautiful country and after all thats what we go away for.

My wife and I returned from Gran Ventana on March 8th. The flight from Toronto was uneventful but Skyservice is not exactly a luxury airline. Older equipment, stewardesses that received training at a detention centre for women and a snack that was probably made in the same location.

The resort was well kept, clean and we thought provided good value for what we paid. The staff was freindly and seemed to enjoy working there. The food was again, good value, plentiful and varied although I did choose to eat a lot of grilled chicken. There was a good amount of fresh fruit and vegetables and a variety of seafood. It still amazes me that people go to these places and eat hot dogs and hamburgers all week but to each their own. We had three a la carte dinners which were again good value but not the best we've ever had thats for sure.

There were a lot of Europeans at the resort, mainly Brits and this always makes the vacation more interesting for us. There were a lot of families there and a wide age group from early 20s to mid 60s. This is not a resort for young people looking to party as there is no night life on site to speak of but that didnt bother us because we were there for a week of R&R. The beach was clean but best in the mornings as the wind really kicked up in the afternoon. The pool was always busy and was well kept.

My one complaint is the entertainment, particularly on one night when they had some $3 Karoake musician (I think a CDN working in the DM as an entertainer). This guy had a guitar strapped over his shoulder and a laptop on a table programmed with Karaoke backgrounds that he sang with. Let me get this straight.....you're in the DR with thousands of talented locals who would probably play for very reasonable fees and play music that we dont get to hear very often in Canada. And they hire some wannabe Karaoke king to sing familiar top 40 songs that we hear every day on our radio? Come on folks, thats just gross.

We would go there again because of the good value but they really should reconsider their entertainment choices. We would much rather see local people getting paid to perform traditional island music but hey thats just us :)