Paradisus was a wonderful getaway for me and my wife. We had time for a short getaway (5 days) from the kids and we wanted something with a great beach, great pool and good food. We found it here. Originally, we read the reviews and saw quite a mix. The selling point was when I found two people who had been there and they only had good things to say. We couldn't agree more. Only one area of concern and I'll discuss that later.

Airport: We flew Continental nonstop from NJ. Flight was fine. Airport exit was fast and uneventful. Paid the $10 per person entry fee (had exact change as stated in the reviews.) Many countries in Caribbean charge a fee. And if this is a sore point after spending thousands of dollars on a trip, then one shouldn't venture out of the United States. By the way, this is less than the tolls I pay to travel into Manhattan every day. Our package included transfers. Baggage handlers only take your bags 100 feet to the curb where the transfer agents take over.

Drive to Resort: We were one of four couples on our van. Everyone was taking a break from the kids. All were from NJ and had been on our plane, so we had a nice chat and hardly noticed the 30 to 40 minute drive. The ride should have taken 20 minutes, but we stopped to drop the other couples off along the way and we were the last couple dropped off.

Check In: We arrived at our hotel a few minutes after the 3pm check in time, so our check in was fast and our room was ready. I did observe another couple come back to the desk to ask if their room was ready yet. But obviously, they were there prior to the stated check in time. You were given a bracelet to wear showing you were a guest of the hotel, able to eat, drink and use the facilities.

Transportation around resort: This is a big resort. Transportation is provided by tram or golf cart that routinely drive around the grounds. However, you can hitch a ride with almost any staff riding by in their golf carts. Best accomodations are by the beach because you'll be central to everything except the lobby and one restaurant.

Accommodations: Fortunately, we had a room by the beach. The room was spacious and clean. It had a tile floor that is similar to those of other island resorts. As requested we had a king bed and there was a step down living room area with a refrigerator stocked with soda and bottled water. It is highly recommended that you only drink bottle water and we even use it to brush our teeth. They will stock the frig with whatever you want. The frig didn't seem to be that cold, but it did keep the soda and water cool. But ice was always available. We were on the ground floor and the balcony was still private (surrounded by grass and bushes and trees.) Television was adequate with local US stations. A radio alarm clock was available, but we called for wake up service. Bathroom had a jacuzzi, but I don't take baths in rooms like that. Surprisingly, NO BUGS were seen in our room. Most outdoor villas like that in the tropics do have an occassional bug. A few misqitos here and there, but no noticible bites on either of us.

Pool: Huge, tropical and pretty. Swim up bar always busy, but no waits for drinks. Ask a gardener to cut you a coconut and he'll pull it right off a tree and cut the top off. Get a straw and you're in business. It is nice to throw him a couple of bucks to do that.

Beach: Very nice.... central to other hotels and you can walk up and down beach. Water was great, beach pretty. Never a problem getting a chaise lounge. There is a roped off adults only bar, beach section, and pool, but you are supposed to pay extra for it. We had no problem sitting in that pool or beach even though we didn't have the proper bracelet for that area. Honestly, it wouldn't of mattered what area we sat in. It was all very nice and you could find your own little spot. We did move around to the large pool and to the adult pool.

Food: Very good. No complaints. Breakfast was the typical buffet with local dishes and US dishes. Eggs and omletts to order. Lunch was buffet style with a good selection at both locations, as well as a hamburger and hot dog stand. Dinner buffets were good with menus changing daily. Specialty restaurants were very good. Needed reservations for three of them. You make reservations during the day. I suggest you make all your reservations on day one or two. French Restaurant was very good. Steak restaurant was okay.... (I eat at the best steak houses in NY regularly.) Other restaurant requiring reservations was Japanese. We didn't eat there, but heard it was very good. Sure smelled great. Chinese restaurant required no reservation and was very good. Drinks were great. It felt great not having to carry a wallet or money. Just wearing the bracelet was enough. And don't forget the 24 hour room service. Always faster than they said. A nice shrimp cocktail and fruit platter was ordered every night. Along with champagne on ice.

Night life: Small casino in lobby. It ain't vegas. Dancing and shows nightly in an open area off the lobby. Almost all Latin music. I would have liked some US dance music. Walking on beach was nice, but I stayed right in front of the resort. I wouln't stray too far....from property. Just being cautious. It was just as romantic sitting by pool at night.

One sore point: This is all my fault... dum me had to take my lap top. This required going to the lobby wireless area, taking time from the beach. But first you had to go to the business office. This was slow and employees didn't work fast. Wasted too much time there. Rented a phone that took unlimited calls from US for $10 a day, but had to go back to room to get credit card for security... this office is not part of the hotel. Employees here spoke little english and worked slowly. Wasted my time away from the beach. Next time, no computer. If I must, just pay and use there's at night.

Overall: Great time. Employees friendly and helpful. Not a lot speak English well, but waiters do. I found two guys who spoke English well and if I needed something, I saw them. At end of trip, I gave some employees I liked a few bucks. Don't forget you are in an impoverished country and a few dollars to the locals make a difference in their lives. Any questions, feel free to contact me.

My husband and I just returned from a wonderful week at the Paradisus Punta Cana (04/27 through 05/04). Check in was quick and painless. Upon arrival we were greeted with a "Paradisus" (non-alcoholic) cocktail. We were assigned to bungalow 33 which was a standard junior suite..This location was great for us as it was just a hop, skip and a jump to the beach where we spent most of our day. This location was also just a short walk to the pool and restaurant locations. Our room was kept clean each day and it was free from insects. Air conditioning was more than sufficient, in fact we turned it off after awhile and kept the ceiling fan on. Our first night, we ordered pizza from room service as we arrived late and room service was prompt and pizza was pretty good. The grounds are very well maintained and you see the grounds people working diligently every day and they all greet you with a smile and an "hola"...I found the staff at this resort above average..no matter what capacity they were in...they were all gracious and friendly!!

The beach is absolutely gorgeous with plenty of chairs..we went out to the beach after breakfast usually by 9:30 and never had a problem getting chairs under a palapa..Make sure you bring your sunscreen, I tan easily and I burned with a spf of 15! The water is crystal clear and warm and we enjoyed walking the beach a couple of times per day (had to burn the calories from all the food we ate). As far as the restaurants go..we ate lunch at the Italian restaurant where I had spaghetti and hubby had the lobster lasagna which he said was delicious! We had reservations for Vento and El Romantico and the service provided at both these restaurants was excellent!! Waiters at both of these restaurants were extremely attentive and gracious!! We tipped well at each of these restaurants. We also ate at Rodizio which is great if you like meats..they start you off with a salad bar and then bring skewers of meats..(turkey, chicken, lamb, beef, sausage, etc.) it was just too much for me..after the first couple of skewers..I stopped but if you like meat and have a big appetite you will probably like it!! Breakfast each morning was at the Hibiscus buffet which provided a variety of your typical breakfast foods...
bacon (great!), pancakes, waffles, french toast, eggs and omelets made to order..fruit smoothies made to order and a wide arrange of fruits..the staff here was also very attentive and cleared dishes from table as soon as one was finished..never saw tables with dishes left on them!! We tipped at all our meals as well as for the maid, bartenders, etc. I can not say enough about the services provided at the Paradisus...the staff here has such good work ethics and friendly personalities..We particularly enjoyed the staff at the lobby bar...
these guys are always smiling and are personable with everyone and they make the best drinks at this bar, even their coffee is the best ..we would always make a trip here after breakfast just to get a coffee..they would heat the milk..absolutely delicious coffee!! We did go on one excursion - the Panoramic One - which was a modern glass bottom boat, snorkeling excursion..lots of fun..didn't see much but the crew and other passengers provided a day of fun!! The Paradisus had their grand opening of their new nightclub "Fuego" which they are very proud of...it was tastefully decorated and located right off the lobby and it was lots of fun!! We only attended one of their evening shows which was entertaining (not Vegas) and the performers gave it their all. It is quite obvious that the staff at the Paradisus love their jobs and what they do!! Thanks Paradisus for providing us with a week of relaxation and fun!!

This was our 2nd time at Paradisus and our 10 year wedding anniversary. We went to RIU a few years ago and decided we really wanted to go back to Paradisus (we were there in 2001). Let me start by saying, we've been to the Bahamas and the Caymen Islands and this hotel is one of the most beautifully landscaped hotels. The pool is gorgeous and there are plenty of areas to "get away". Tucked away nooks all over the place. The people are unbelievably friendly and are happy you are there. No question there is a language barrier, but we are in their country after all. So here are some quick tips, good things and disappointments.

1. When you arrive at the airport there are porters who will swarm you to get your bags. You can let them take the bags, but they only carry them a few feet and then want a tip. They'll do the same thing when you return to the airport from the hotel. Next time, I'll insist we can carry our own bags those few feet.

2. The last 2 times we've been to Punta Cana, we've taken Pepto tablets with us. I'd take one every morning just to be safe and never had any problems. This time I forgot to bring them (and the antacid). We were there for a 8 days and by day 7 we both got the "Montazuma"-it has been 2 days and we are both still feeling the side affects! My advice...take antacid tablets-I got bad heartburn one day and also take a pepto tablet every morning even if you feel alright.

3. I got great advice from another reviewer to bring chill cups with you to fill up on drinks. I got some migo plastic chill cups with straws at Target and it made for fewer trips between the beach and the bars!

4. Bring your own cork screw. We ordered a bottle of wine for the room before heading out to the beach. The wine was there when we returned, but no cork screw. When room service got there, we were in the shower and they didn't leave one so we had to call again. By the time they got there, we were heading out the door for dinner.

5. The pillows were flat as pancakes. I would pack an extra bag and bring my own pillow next time.

6. Our friends stayed at the resort too and complained of the mosquitos and the room feeling damp. They were in buidling 13 and we were in building 26 (close to the beach). We didn't have the room dampness problem, but the morning we left, my husband woke up with about 30 bites on his elbow from the night. I slept in a long sleeve shirt and was free from the attack!

7. Tipping is totally optional and we were treated just as well regardless of whether we tipped or not. We told the staff it was our anniversary and that we had been to the resort before. There were flowers in our room every day and when I saw the cleaning lady in the middle of the week, we gave her $5. We also tipped the bell boy who helped us with our bags at the hotel.

8. Bring snacks with you. The only snacks are peanuts and pizza. The pizza is great, but after a few days, it doesn't do the job. We packed some snacks for our room for after the beach and before dinner.

9. The concierge made our dinner reservations for us. There is a new place to dine called Fuego-I don't recommend this one. We were there twice-not by choice and the food was not good, and you could tell the service staff were still "green". We probably had 5 waiters approach us a and never knew who was our waiter. Also, Sakura, the Japanese restaurant has the best food (in our opinion) and the concierge told us even though we were staying for a week, he couldn't get us in. I pushed him hard on this and suddenly he found a way to get us in...hmmm. It is strange---they told us it would be difficult to get into several restaurants, but when we got there they were only about 1/4 full the entire meal!

10. The Italian restaraunt is great for late night pizza and bottles of wine. I found the white wine to be very dry. The red was decent and they will let you take it back to your room with no problem.

11. The orange juice is delicious and we all enjoyed the mixture of oj and pineapple juice in the mornings. Omelettes were good too.

I was literally petrified by all of the BAD Reviews I read prior to going on my vacation; especially, the ones about the BED BUGS. This was an All Girls-Getaway and my girlfriends and I had an AWESOME Time. The three of us are fluent in English and know very little Spanish. However, this was not an issue for us. The staff was EXTREMELY friendly, helpful, and resourceful. When they realized that we were English speaking only they would go out of their way to find someone to help interpret for us.

The accommodations were IMMACULATE, BEAUTIFUL and COMFORTABLE. We were exactly 100 steps from the beach and another 100 steps to the ocean. The beach was supreme, the water warm and there were plenty of places to lay in the sun or under covered umbrellas everyday. Normally, we didn’t arrive at the beach until well after 10 am. Every evening we would walk the beach and there was some sort of huge truck that would travel the span of the beach and smooth out the sand. My only caution is the sand flies. Bring DEET for your FEET.

There are plenty of restaurants to choose from. The entertainment is mediocre, but still fun. The in-house casino is good for novice gamblers. For more advanced gamblers I would suggest the casino off the property.

There are about seven (7) water activities that are free for Sol Media/RCI Members. Take advantage of them all.

We participated in the Caribbean Safari and the Tour to Santo Domingo; both excellent, but both are full day trips [caution: Transportation for the Caribbean Safari is a covered jeep [English translation: the back of a huge covered pick-up truck]]. Be aware of traffic. The Dominicans DO NOT above travel laws. I don’t understand how they don’t get into fatal accidents.

I am EXTREMELY picky and I would say that overall this was a GREAT VACATION. The Dominican Republic is very beautiful and I would definitely go again. The weather was ideal and the hottest day was probably a breezy 89 degrees.