My husband and I stayed at the hotel for 10 days. We had a great time. Sorry if this review gets lengthy but I guess I have alot to say.

We also purchased the elite services. That service was worth the money you pay, I read all the reviews before we left, and from my experience people expect everything to be American. The pool was great a few missing tiles but coulf hardly notice. We did have a problem with the shower and pressure, but being handy took a needle and poked the shower head holes and the pressure was great almost too much. Never had a problem getting chairs at the pool or beach which were in the shade.. we usually went to the pool or beach around 10:30-11:00.

Because we had purchased the elite club service we had our own concierge. We called them and they scheduled our dinner reservations (the restyou need to pay for but get one free with elite club) and our massages (also free). We did have a problem with our safe one time and called our concierge and the safe was fixed in 30 minutes. That could happen anywhere.
We did schedule a photo shoot (because it was our anniversary) and they did a wonderful job, They took 100 pictures that turned out. Was hard to narrow them down to a price we were willing to pay. On our Anniversary they came out with a delicous cake and sanh Happy Anniversay. Which was a very nice jesture on there part.

We never came across any of the staff that was not polite and willing to help us out or for that matter give us anything we wanted. Ou room maid was wonderful...our room was cleaned twice a day once in the morning and at night. We did leave them a tip everyday and our frig was stocked with whatever we asked (all you have to do is leave them a note) . She even gave us extra bottles of absolute and rum.

The food was good....there was something for everyone. My favorite was El Bogdon. You had to pay extra for the meal (one dinner included with elite club). Even the prices were very reasonable.

We are scuba divers and the dive crew from the hotel are great. They try very hard to give you what you want and make sure you are happy. The shipwreck Astron was great. There are four chunks of this ship that you can swim through or between ang the fish are plentiful to see. The excursion to Catalina was fantastic. You swim in the Carribean waters an then got to an island for a few hours. They also offer snorkeling on that trip.
If you have any questions please email me.

Stayed at the Ocean Blue from May 6th through the 11th with a friend for a girl's weekend. The grounds were impeccable, the drinks were overflowing, the weather perfect (very hot and humid), and the beach was amazing. The food was average resort/cafeteria level food. I would recommend staying away from the fruits and some meats (ham, beef) as they were often a bit unrecognizable. I would also recommend drinking the local drinks - Mamajuana, dirty monkeys, and pina coladas as the soda used for mixed drinks has a different taste than American soda. Also - do not drink margaritas as you will find they taste nothing like margaritas in the U.S.. Victor specials at the yellow pool were awesome. The drinks at the Tortuga made by Abel are very strong.

The shows offered were fantastic - shortened versions of Chicago and the Copacabana. Took a glass bottom boat ride with Jesus and the red tiki boat through the resort - worth the $50. Took us snorkeling, to a natural pool, to a water slide, and gave us snacks.

When there - visit Ben and Victor at the yellow pool, Abel at the Tortuga bar on the casino side of the resort, go bowling at least once, and wear lots of sunscreen.

The resort is full of couples so it's definitely a great couple spot - but us two single gals made several friends and had a great time.

Beware of the men wearing white at the airport - they only want to take your luggage a short - distance for a big tip. Also - bring $1 bills with you as finding change to tip is nearly impossible and nobody takes credit cards. Some of the rooms are musty and smell of mold - especially on the first floor so bring a nice smelling spray or air freshener. It's a very humid island - so there will be weird smells. BRING BUG SPRAY - lots of mosquito bites. Also - if you plan on golfing at the Ocean Blue - plan to pay $150+ to play a short round of golf. Not the best place for golf.

BIG NOTE: Learn some spanish. Just a bit to get you by. Perhaps phrases asking for towels, for types of drinks, how to change money over to smaller bills, types of food, etc. The people there are far more friendly if you speak a little spanish and will go above and beyond if you ask them a favor in Spanish. Also - do not pay more than half of the asking price of the vendors on the beach. Typically offer 1/4 to 1/3 of what they ask. They will take it eventually. And - plan on being asked several times by vendors at the pools and beaches for services, asking if you want your picture taken, etc. Just say - "no gracias" or "no me moleste" and they go away.

All in all - a great trip and a GORGEOUS hotel.

Ocean Blue was amazing. Stayed at Caribe Club Princess before, and this was def. better. Mimosas and caviar on the breakfast bar!! What more could you ask for. Everyone was so friendly, the beach was beautiful. Plenty of shade areas too. And yes to Amazon (above review), we did feed the mama and puppies on the beach. It was so sad to see the stray dogs.

I would recommend booking with Apple. They've always made sure everything ran smoothly and have reps on site to take care of you.

Just came back from this resort after staying 4 nights for a wedding. The overall experience was fantastic, BUT, alot of that is due to being there with a large group of fun and interesting people who were all connected through the wedding party. There was only one real negative that I saw so I will report on that first and then give my take on the rest of it:

I was there from Wednesday to Sunday, and from Wednesday to Saturday afternoon, the resort was made up of primarily American, European and Canadian tourists. On Saturday, I observed several bus loads of "local" tourists arrive in the lobby. Some said that the resort heavily discounts weekend rates for locals. Not sure what the story is, but the population at the pool and pool bars was "different" and much more crowded on Saturday. The nightclub which played great American music the prior three nights, switched to accomodate all of the locals and played nothing but Spanish music all night. This was unfortunate because even with our group, many couldnt take the positively endless barrage of Spanish music. It was 3 straight hours of it (and Im sure much more after I left).

I give the food rating a C+. If you like to have great food on your trips, this may not be the place for you. I didnt mind the food and its not like anyone was getting sick from it, but many of the offerings are just average at best. They do the local cusine very well (rice, beans, churiso, salsa, bananas, etc), but things that arent their specialty really suffer, which is a lot of dishes. Luckily, Im not a foodie so this didnt bother me at all. Not sure if other resorts in the area have better food, this was my first time in DR.

The pools are huge and relaxing with good service at the pool bars. They play alot of local music during the day and have contests and classes at the pool. This is fun for the 5 or so people who get involved (in a salsa dance lesson for example) but Im guessing that for the rest of the people at the pool who are trying to relax or have conversations, its a bit intrusive to hear these classes broadcast over the loud speakers.

The nightlife was above average. Lots of bars to choose from and they have the live dance shows every night if thats your thing. Again, I was with a big, fun crowd so it was pretty easy for us to enjoy the nightlife (except on saturday at the club which was TERRIBLE).

The beach was great. Plenty of seating and shade and I walked the beach at one point to about 10 other resorts and Ocean Blue was at least as good as those, and in many cases, Ocean Blue was far better laid out.

The resort was a good size. Not too big as I have heard others are in DR. Everything in less than a 5 minute walk away. This is important because some resorts are way too big and its a chore to go from one part (beach) to another (the pool or your room, etc). Building 8 or 9 are the most centrally located group of rooms. Closest to everything, I recommend those.

Ok , thats all I can think of. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. Overall, I had an unbelievable time attending this wedding. Not sure that I would necessarily go back to this resort, but it was a great location for a destination wedding, particularly if you have a decent sized group.