We just got back from a week at the Cayena Beach Club. Myself and my husband plus our 2 kids, 15 and 10 went. We really had a good time.

The staff is great, the grounds are absolutely spectacular, the beaches are great. The Cayena pool is wonderful. It's not crowded and it always has an ocean breeze blowing so you don't get hot. The main LTI lobby is incredible and very Caribbean. The rooms are better than average but this is not a luxury resort. They were clean and comfortable though. I did not have any musty smell. The a/c didn't work well in one of the bedrooms but you could open the door and the ocean breeze blew in. I laughed when I saw the shower because the curtain is about 6 inches too short and I remembered reading about it in the reviews. It was aggravating though because it took 3 towels to keep the floor dry while you showered and then they were saturated.

Because it is all inclusive you eat and drink free all week. The food is only average. But this was a common complaint by everyone I spoke to in the airport and they all stayed at different resorts (RIU, etc) so I guess its just the area, not this hotel specifically. The drinks were great I just wish that someone had been walking around the pool and beach taking our order and bringing them to us. We ate all our meals at the hotel except one (Hard Rock Cafe). We ate fruit, meat, salads, pasta, pizza, etc. We drank water at dinner and no one in our family got sick. The only precaution we took was to use the bottled water they provide in your room to brush our teeth.

If you go to the beach and turn left and walk about 1/2 a mile there are vendors on the beach. They sell rum, cigars, bathing suits, beach coverups, art, etc. It's worth a walk down there. They are very aggressive sales people but they will bargain with you.

We went on 2 excursions which the hotel will happily arrange for you in the Cayena lobby. We went to Manatee Park and swam with the dolphins, this was one of the highlights of the kids trip. We also did a 1/2 day trip to the countryside to see homes, schools, villages, etc. It was a great trip and I highly recommend it. Our kids loved that too.

A few suggestions for you. Don't bring a beach towel, the hotel provides them. The bar soap, shampoos that they supply aren't too great, bring your own. Quite a few people missed their flight on Saturday. You need to get to the airport about 3 hours before your flight (they tell you 2 but it's not enough if it's busy). Be prepared for chaos at the airport. It is very disorganized and I saw quite a bit of bribing going on to move people to the front of the check in line, it was maddening. The hotel will arrange for a nice taxi/shuttle with air conditioning for you for $34.

The Dominican Republic is a good blend between African and South American cultures. It is still very much a 3rd world country. If you come here knowing that then your visit will be much more pleasureable. Come expecting to relax and have fun, it is a great place to visit and it is a nice resort. You'll be glad you came!

Just returned from 2 weeks in DR. Stayed at Cayena Golf Resort first week and the condo was beautiful. Staff like Edwin and Gueirmo and Javier were so helpful and friendly. We stayed at the Cayena Beach 2nd week and loved every minute of it and it was because the staff became like family. Elcano food was just the best. Pedro and staff made our breakfast and lunch a pleasant experience as did Pasqual and Leonora The buffet at LTI was not as good and saw same stuff every night but waiters were very good. Loved the white sandy beach and the blue water. Beaches were very clean and liked the privacy which was separate from LTI . Kuddos to Newton the bartender he sure new how to make my drinks. The office personnel was also very professional and solved any problems we had in our room which were few. We stayed on bottom floor and it was just a few feet away from the beach. Took excursion to Santo Domingo but would not recommend due to long bus trip 3 hrs there and back. I would suggest the trip to Saona Is. The catamaran trip over was a blast and the Island was so beautiful. Travel suggestions: Buy plenty of sunscreen before you go because it will cost $27.00 US to purchase at the shops. I also brought $100.00 in one dollar bills as tips and believe me you will use them. Overall it was a great experience and would go back to Cayena Beach if it was not so far from Wash St. I really hated to leave this paradise

We stayed at the Cayena Club, which is the time share portion of LTI resort. If you stay in this portion, you have access to the entire resort, however LTI guests only have access to the LTI areas. So you have a private pool, restraunt, 2 bars, beach & huts, and lobby/concierge service. Fernando is the "concierge" for the cayena club, and he knows his stuff. He speaks Spanish, French, and English, and he can point you in any direction you wish to go. We got married and honeymooned there, from March 21-29. It was nothing short of fantastic! Sylvie was our wedding coordinator, who works for the LTI portion of the resort. She is the guest services director, speaks French and Spanish, and knows her stuff. Her and Fernando were so great, they stood up for us in the wedding too! They gave us some great insights into the native country,people, and local customs.

Anyway, on to the resort. The food was excellent, everynight there seemed to be a different theme, and Thursdays seemed to be the big welcome day, with fantastic drinks handed out at the entrance of the main buffet. Clariza takes the reservations for the seafood and italian places, and she is great to talk to, also. She directed me to a great salon in town to get some acrylic nails for the wedding, and Sylvie made sure we got there and back with no problems.

The best way to avoid all of the hassels of resort/airport travel, is to have the hotel arrange your transportation. We paid $35 each way for a private "bus" (van) to take us to/from the resort/airport. Well worth the money. Very clean, friendly driver. No waiting for anyone else, and they meet you with a sign with your name at the airport so there is no confusion about which taxi to take. DO NOT take just any old taxi waiting at the airport. Sylvie warned us about them, don't do it, no matter how tempting. The drive was about 25 minutes to the resort, thru beautiful country, littered with trash. However, once you turn into the resort driveway, it was spotlessly clean. Truly beautiful. The staff was excellent, at both resorts. If you struggle with Spanish, use the guest services desk as a resource, they generally keep someone with tri-lingual skills there. The staff seems to take lots of abuse from travelers, so a little kindness goes a long way!!! Learn a litte conversational spanish, and you will have no problems dealing with the staff that only speaks spanish.

Sylvie met us at the door of our Taxi, and gave us a tour of the entire resort, while our bags were taken to our room for us. We were then turned over to Fernando, who explained the remaining "time share extras" that we would experience at the cayena club.

Our room was fantastic, we had a Jr. Suite. Beautiful marble bathroom, double sinks,jetted tub (a little shallow, but nice), and seperate toilet area. the only problem we encontered, was that our shower curtain was about 2 inches too short, so there was a mess on the floor everynow and then if you weren't careful with the direction of the shower head. Queen sized bed, the only down fall was no fitted sheets, so they kind of crept up at the foot of the bed by the morning. Seperate sitting room, with hideabed, and chair. Private patio with fenced in yard! very nice. we were on the first floor, by the way. ocean front, and beautiful, room 111. we were greeted in the room with fruit, rum and flowers. i don't know if this is the norm, or just for honeymooners, but it was great. minibar stocked with bottled water, sodas, and beer, replenished everyday, free of charge. the only problem we had with our room was the telephone, which didn't work for incoming calls. outgoing was no problem. we also had unlimited room service from 2:30-midnight.

the restraunt at the cayena club was great, something different everyday, and there is no crowd to fight, and they will make you anything you want to drink at the bar right there for breakfast, from spirits to juice blends. they do an omlette station, made to order steaks for lunch, buffets, desserts-all good. the selection isn't as great as the big buffet, but it was worth it not to deal with lots of people, and the quality seemed to be better, too. however, nothing beat the coissants and fresh rolls at the buffet. there is also a swim up bar attatched to the restraunt/bar, but we seemed to be the only people to discover it! there is a loft above the restraunt with yet another bar, and amazing view of the beach/ocean.

the food at del mar (the seafood place) was very good, however not part of the all inclusive pkg. la trattoria (the italian place) requiers reservations, and it is worth it. it is part of the all inclusive, but you have waitstaff/bartenders at your disposal, which is nice. great service, excellent pizza, and the buffet there was very good also. the lasagna was exceptional, as was the cauliflower gratin(which i don't even like). the house wines were very good, or you can order a bottle, for an extra charge. take a few dollars to tip your servers, they do a great job, even though you may still be eating the buffet. and the chocolate ice cream was fantastic!!!!! all homemade ice creams!

the burger/chicken joint was great when you miss the main meal times, with fries to supplement the burgers/dogs/chicken. the chicken was great, at every place we ate, but very good off the grill here! the buffet attatched to this place was limited, but nice because you have the bar with it, and it is all poolside.

the trick to drinking at this place is: bring your own travel mugs/cups!! the little tiny cups and straws just require too many trips back and forth if you spend the day on the beach. bring something that closes with a lid, and a straw is helpful too. it keeps the sand out. i only saw 2 bugs the entire time we were there, so they weren't an issue during the time we were there. but the sand sticks to everything. and a mesh beach bag is a must...we had access to beach towels from the cayena club, although we brought our own anyway. ours were just easier to spot. the only downfall to the timeshare, was they had a day, i think it was monday or tues. , where they have people standing out on the sidewalks trying to get you to sign up for more weeks. luckily we were busy with the wedding-who can argue with that excuse??

the wedding itself was a piece of cake! all you do is show up, and sylvie takes care of the rest. it was held in one of the beach cabanas that they use for massages, overlooking the beach. we did photos before, during, and after the wedding, and the photographer, Arnaud, was fantastic! I was worried about the quality with an "in house" photographer, but he was great, and the pics were great too. dinner, flowers, drinks, dancing, all great! if you have more questions about the weddings, email me, i can fill you in with more details, as there are just too many to write here.

Excursions- we did 2 excursions- one good, one not so good. the first was the El Pat Ranch, which was horseback riding on the beach. save your money. the mistreatment of the animals was shocking, from lack of food,water and rest, to ill fitted saddles and pads. there was a gentleman in our group, about 300 pounds, that was put onto a small pony, with a child's saddle. he was falling off the saddle just sitting still, and it only got worse from there. while the beach they take you on is beautiful, there is only about 30 minutes of acutal beach riding time, so it really wasn't worth it, and the 4 guys that take you out on the beach were kind of rude to everyone, and they ride behind people and whip their horses to go faster, whether you want to or not. And you have to wear helmets, which sucks in the heat. We have 2 horses of our own, so we may be a little more sensitive to the mistreatment of the horses, and minimum standards, like drinking water, they should have.

our second tour, mountain view tours, was spectacular! i think it was $80 per person, with 10% off if you book it thru LTI. Small tour groups, great tour gides and drivers. You will see mountains, plantations, local cities and shops, and beaches.
Your first stop is a school, so take some school supplies to give to the children, the living conditions are a shock to our american systems...then a stop for some shopping and mamaghyana (spelling??), then into the mountains, for sugar cane, cocao, fruits, and a tour of a local home. then farther into the mountains for some great horseback riding, and lunch at the ranch. both were excellent, and beautiful. well taken care of , and well mannered animals, and the guides were fantastic. don't drink the water with lunch, stick to the coke or sprite, though. then you stop at another shop, watch some cigars being made, smoke a few if you wish, shop, and then it's off to Macao beach-wear your swimsuit under your clothes, you will want to swim when you see the beach. sand, blue waves, cliffs, and coconuts for drinking-a great day! take some cash if you want to shop, and guides will watch your items when you are not in the truck. clothes would be a good addition to give away at the cacao plantation, once you see how they live, you will understand...

overall, LTI was great, we can't wait to go back, and see Sylvie, Fernando, and Clariza. spend some time with your favorite staff member, and talk to them about their country. it is fascinating.

My husband ,daughter and I were totally disappointed in this vacation. We will never go back to Punta Cana and will advise others not to go as well.
We stayed at Cayean Beach Club which has 47 units on the LTI property. The grounds were beautiful and well maintained. The beach was gorgeous.
We reserved two rooms--our's was musty smelling but my daughter's seemed ok. Since we reserved a separate room for my daughter, the resort unexpectedly charged us and extra $532 for food for the week for a fourth person who wasn't even there! They said the fee was based on double occupency---We felt this was a rip off! And the food was horrible to boot. The safest dinner was the pasta station. We arrived on Saturday and by Tuesday my daughter was ill from the food and she didn't even respond to the medications(prescription) I had brought with me. It wasn't until we arrived home and our doctor ordered her an antibiotic did she start to feel better. The doctor said it was a bacterial infection from the food.
The water pressure in the rooms was minimal -and barely warm--and the shower curtain was at least 3 inches above the top of the tub--needless to say--you couldn't avoid a wet floor.
At the airport more than a few people said they would never go back to Punta Cana--they all complained about the food at various resorts. It's not safe to travel outside your resort on your own so you are like a prisoner of wherever you are staying.
If you have another alternative for a vacation take it!