My girlfriend and I (mid 20's couple) stayed at the Occidental from May 2 - May 10 with another couple and had a wonderful time. We booked with Air Canada Vacations and stayed in a Junior Suite room. I read over 100 reviews on this site before heading there and found that we were pretty prepared for everything that came our way on the trip.

All in all the resort is an excellent value for the money as there is everything a reasonable person would expect. I have broken down the many aspects of the trip, including everything that I experienced and everything I would have liked to know before I left for the trip...

Airport:
After we landed at the airport and quickly cleared customs we were loaded onto a bus with the help of a gentlemen who carried our bags. For the whole 100 meter trip to the bus, the guy asked for $10. I found out later that my friend we were traveling with actually paid that much. This was the last time that any of us paid what the locals were asking. After that, it was a 20 - 25 minute drive to the resort.

Check-in:
When you arrive at the resort, the guys at the front have you leave your luggage and check-in. We arrived at about 10pm, so we got into a room right away. The check-in was quick and we even got into a room close to our friends. We had to wait until the morning to purchase a safe key for the room ($25). Once we were set to go to the room, the bell boys loaded us and our luggage onto a golf cart and showed us to our rooms. We dropped the gentlemen our first of many $1 tips.

Room:
The room was better than I expected, having a king-sized bed, love seat, back porch, A/C, fridge, and typical amenities of a North American style hotel room. I really only used the room for sleeping, showering and getting out of the sun the odd time. It was comfortable for sleeping and the showers always had warm water. A couple of times the power went off completely in the room in the afternoon, but it didn't bother us any. Anyways, if you plan to stay in your room a lot, then why are you staying on a resort in Punta Cana?

Every day we each left $1 on the pillow for the maids. They provided us with clean linens, towels, beer (we left a note requesting some), plenty of water, and really just a nice, clean room. We were so impressed by the room-keepers that we left them some toys at the end and a lovely note (in Spanish) from my girlfriend.

Beach:
The beach is why we came on the trip, and it was immaculate. The water was a beautiful ocean blue and also very refreshing. You could walk down either side of the beach for as long as you like. We found that the Occidental section of the beach had some of the most sand area, and it was definitely one of the most well-kept stretches as well (not very much seaweed on shore). Despite a lot of available seating, it was difficult to find shade from a palapa on the beach. The waves were decent enough on some of the days that you could boogie board.

Pool:
The pool was always extremely clean. Of the 3 pools on the resort, we spent all of our pool time in the large pool. The pool is fairly shallow in many parts, never getting more than about 5 feet deep at any point. If it did get any deeper I may have drowned considering the excellent service at the swim up bar. There are not that many spots around the pool with palapas, but we usually found one without difficulty.

Grounds:
The grounds are absolutely gorgeous. I can rarely think of a time that I didn't see a grounds keeper working their ass off during the days. We gave the pop/sodas in our fridge away to these guys and they were thrilled each time we did. One guy actually shimmied right up a tree for us to get my girlfriend a coconut when I simply asked him how to go about getting one of the fancy coconut drinks I saw others with. In terms of layout, things are set up nicely around the resort as we knew our way around in no time at all. No problems here at all.

Buffets:
The lobby buffet always had something for everyone. Breakfast there was always good with all the main foods (including two omelette and one crepe station). Also, plenty of fresh fruit, meats, eggs, smoothies, etc. The beach buffet was the place to go for lunch when staying at the beach. Soups, salads, pasta, fish, meat...a really nice buffet with a great view of the ocean.

Snack bars:
The home run was located at the pool just above the swim-up bar and had hamburgers, chicken burgers, hot dogs, french fries, deep-fried calamari and nachos. It was a nice place for a snack and a decent alternate to the beach buffet for lunch. Overall, the food here was decent, although the service from Robinson was exceptional. The pizza and taco stands were both exceptional for evening - late-night snacking. You can basically get them to stone-bake your pizza with just about anything you want on it...unreal after a drink or seven! The taco stand had beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, or veggie tacos. I tried the beef and chicken and loved them both.

A La Cartes:
First off, book these restaurants the first morning that you are there (between 8 and 12). We immediately booked the Oriental, Brazilian and Mexican each two days apart (can only book 3). Later in the week we booked the Italian restaurant without difficulty. The Oriental was good, although we still had some room after the appetizer, entree, and desert that you got to order. The Brazilian was our favourite as they bring out one bit at a time...the way they serve everything is pretty cool and mysterious. I won't ruin the experience for you...just make sure you enjoy eating meat and you will love it. The mexican was pretty great as well. Similar set-up here to the Oriental place....I would say good overall for this place. The italian we avoided until the end because a) why would I come to Dominican to eat Italian and b) I heard it was nothing special. I must say that the soup and the antipesto were pretty good, but the entrees left something to be desired. If I really only got to choose three, I would leave the italian out.

Bars:
There are bars just about everywhere you go on this resort. The best drinks were probably in the lobby bar as they are served in a glass with all the fixings. The pool bar is where I did the most damage to my liver. The other bars are all suitable and equipped to keep you happy. Heads up for Lidio at the swim-up bar with his mamaviagra's...kind of like the mamajuana shots they give you, but they are his special recipe. The mamajuana is a blend of half red-wine, half rum, with honey and a bunch of seasoning (wood chips and stuff). Aside from the weird stuff they have just about any drink you can think of. I did a lot of the slushy-type drinks and found that the rum here goes down a lot better than the N. American stuff. Some must try's: Pina Colada (rum), Flamenco Especiale (pink blend), Coco Loco, Tiki Tiki, Strawberry Daquiry, Sex on the beach. However, I should note that I am primarily a beer guy and I loved the Presidente they had on tap everywhere. It is a nice little Pilsener for those in the know. The beers that were stocked in my fridge were Bohemia Especiale - also a Pilsener.

Service:
Everyone went out of their way to make our stay enjoyable. We left a lot of $1 tips over the course of the trip, although I am sure the service would have been great regardless.

Activities:
There is not a ton that goes on at the resort for activities. You can take out one of the sit-on-top kayaks for a quick spin, play daytime tennis, and various other things around the resort for no cost (eg - volleyball, beach aerobics, ping pong, water polo, etc.). We were basically there to relax, so we didn't do too much aside from the tennis and the gym a couple of times. The courts were in suitable shape and included some older racquets and balls (just book a 50 minute time slot one day in advance). The gym had everything you need, although one 30 minute workout was more than enough for us (so hot even in the morning and with the A/C). There are plenty of people on the beach that will take you para-sailing, and other motorized watersports...be prepared to negotiate a price.

Club Mangu:
Looked like a pretty happening club with a DJ playing a lot of dance, electronic type music. Had two levels and was quite busy. Since it doesn't really get going until midnight, we only made it out once briefly. Free cover for hotel members although the drinks there are certainly not free. If you want to party hard at night, the opportunity is there.

Entertainment:
The entertainment was actually pretty good with the nightly shows they had. They did things like dancing, singing, talent shows, kid stuff, etc. If you're looking for something to do at night, it is worth checking out. I actually regret not checking out the Michael Jackson show I heard so much about.

Shopping:
Anything on the resort is really expensive, so try to avoid having to pick anything up there like snack food ($5 for Pringles), sunblock (absurd costs), batteries, etc. In terms of other stuff, the independent vendors are your best bet. Apparently there are vendors just outside of the resort, although we didn't venture there ourselves. Instead, you can find vendors walking the beach either to the left or right. All of the vendors are aggressive, although in the end they are harmless. There is a much better selection traveling left on the beach than the right and we found the vendors less pushy here. For two of the nights on the resort, vendors were allowed to set up around the pool outside the lobby. I thought that was acceptable as you could easily avoid it if you wanted, and it was a convenient way to see everything the island has to offer in terms of goods.

A typical experience is like this...as you approach the store the vendors verbally try to attract you to their store or even approach you, try to shake your hand, lead you into their store, etc. You then hear all sorts of great lines like "cheapy cheapy, looky looky, Punta Canada (if you tell them you're from Canada), best prices in Punta Cana, best wood in Punta Cana, etc. Many vendors have you place everything you might want in a single place. Some of the time it was uncomfortable, although I got used to it pretty quickly. When the time to make the purchase come, it starts to get even more hilarious...The vendors pull out a calculator and inspect the items, often looking at some sort of sticker on the item as if it has the price. Really, they are just assessing the items based on weight, workmanship, etc. After a few seconds they come up with a ridiculous price and offer it to you with a straight face. Of course, never pay what they originally suggest. Haggling is the way it goes for everything in this country. A guy wanted $128 for a few small wood sculptures, although I eventually talked him down to $30 (after 5 minutes of haggling and almost leaving the store 4 times). If you are unsure about prices, try some low offers out at different places...you will be surprised how quickly you can figure this whole game out. Once you agree on a price for things, the guys calm down and honour the price. A "no thanks" wasn't always an effective way to get you out of the store, but just walking out always did the trick. Just beware that these vendors will prey on nice people. I usually don't enjoy these situations, but I actually enjoyed working for a good deal in the end.

Excursions:
We did the Saona beach excursion for $92 booked through our Air Canada rep. The tour goes from 7:20 am until about 6 or 7 pm. You take a 2 hour bus ride south, including through a town, then a 2 hour catamaran tour, a few hours on a nice clear-water beach in the Caribbean Sea, a stop in a natural swimming pool with starfish in the Sea, a speed boat ride back and then the return bus ride. Drinks and lunch are included. All in all, I wasn't overly impressed with the tour. The beach was very nice...but with the long rides involved and the $92 fee, I have to say the tour was just good.
Our rep also mentioned the Outback Safari tour (full day, check out real life in the D.R.), and a half day tour that includes snorkeling among nurse sharks and stingrays (which I would have liked to have done as well). Each of these tours was somewhere around $80 - $90 and are supposed to be the best tours to go on.

Timeshare:
The only negative aspect of the resort is the timeshare people. It doesn't take a whole lot to spot these guys. Generally they are situated outside of the home run restaurant by the pool and in the lobby outside of the buffet. They were generally around in the mornings and were dressed in white collar shirts and dark pants. These guys were always trying to get you to go to some information session...they were often quite aggressive and always a pain in the butt. Avoiding eye contact, ignoring them, and just walking by tended to work pretty well for us. I didn't have a problem being kind of rude to these guys since they weren't exactly polite to us.
I couldn't believe that these guys were allowed on the resort. It is unacceptable having to deal with these guys when you're relaxing on vacation. The resort really should do more to eliminate this problem in the future. Despite our frustration with these guys, their minimal pestering wasn't enough to affect our vacation.

Other useful points:
- the receptacles in the rooms accept a regular north american style plug so you can plug in your many devices
- my ipod and mini speakers were essential on the beach and by the pool
- bugs are really few and far between there for the most part. if you're sensitive to bugs I would suggest some mosquito repellent with deet in it at night. noticed more bugs on the excursion we were on by the way
- we opted for no malaria pills, and so far so good in that department (knock on wood)
- bring a lot of US $1 bills for tipping as they are hard to find around the resort
- bring lots of sunblock, batteries, snacks, or anything else you can't be without unless you're willing to pay big $
- we brought some inflatable chairs for the pool which paid great dividends for the $9 spent at wal-mart
- if you like to drink a lot bring a travel mug or some insulated thermos for drinks. the bartenders will pour whatever you want into whatever you want.

All in all, this resort was everything we expected and more. You will find an inconvenience no matter where you go, although it is up to you if it is going to ruin your time or not.

I would be delighted to answer any questions you may have about this resort. Hopefully you have gained something useful from this review.

We were one of the couples that read lots of review but figured we were open minded and easy going people.. not everyone has the same opinion BOY we were wrong. Where do I start.. we got back today so still drained from the over all experience. Let me say first of all.. we would reccommend Apple anytime.. they were GREAT... no problem at all with the flight, ride to and from airport. This was our first all inclusive vacation so we stayed in the Royal Club in the Occidental and if it wasn't for the Royal Club and the beach we would have thought what are we paying for?? After we arrived and things started to happen we figured lets suck it up because after all we're on vacation.. The staff at the Royal Cub restaurant were fantastic and to work 12 days(the staff) straight ALL day and be as nice as they were was amazing to us. I (the husband) went back tonight to read more review and I have to tell you everything I read tonight and before our trip is exactly what happens.. it was bad.. 2 times NO water AT all, electric went out, tiolet ran 24 hours straight all the time, room keys never worked, below average room and out dated bathroom, AC was VERY loud, the water issue wasn't bad when we had it, noise from the contruction going on, oh and they never told us when the water was off, never informed us that the PRIVATE pool in the Royal Club wasn't even working as in no water in it, we did experience the feeling that if you don't have Royal Club bracelets on you were looked down on.. by the way.. if you are Royal Club you have different brands of alcohol. Room service was very nice. We would not reccomend Occidental Punta Cana to anyone and would never go back.. still haven't decided if we will return to Punta Cana.

Don't hesitate to stay here unless you are upper class American and only expect the very very best. For the price you pay this resort is awesome. I have been to Punta Cana before and stayed at a Riu resort which was nice but I liked this much better. I am from middle class america and I was very satisfied. I went with my daughter and my 2 grandsons. They had a blast. It kills me when people put in these reviews about no hot water and a long check in etc. You are in another country people. Not America. Deal with it. They don't have water systems like we do. If you expect 5 star service then don't leave your country where you have all the modern facilities. We only had to take a cold shower one day and it gave us a good laugh. Check in couldn't have been any smoother. We arrived at noon and were in our room at 1. Food was great, pool is awesome. Swim up bar fantastic, beach is beautiful and on and on. So bottom line is if you are an average american like me go to this resort. It is wonderful. email me any questions and I will gladly answer them. And please ignore the negative comments. They are unfounded.

Let me start by saying this hotel had the worst service of any
caribbean hotel I have ever stayed.
I go to all-inclusive so i will not be harrassed!! Every day i was
harrassed to buy something. The rooms were shabby and the bathroom was horrible. No hot water, some days no towels.
For 3 days for about 3 hours there was no power or water!
NO ONE advised us and when I asked they said everyone was
advised.
The food was average, but the 5 or so restaurants you could choose from were not all available, only on certain days you could pick from only 2.

If it wasn't for the beach I would have been miserable!