Sometimes you have to consider the source. Like the woman who complains that the food got monotonous, and then reveals that she was at the same resort for two weeks. One person gripes that a resort has only Dominican beer, while another grouses that the bartenders put too much alcohol in the drinks.
Once you've read Debbie, you're ready to book.
Bounty of Buffets
I spent many hours planning my trip and booking resorts of different sizes, locations and prices. I arrived at the airport, which is surprisingly modern and extremely attractive, engaged an English-speaking cab driver and was immediately taken to the wrong place. I'd clearly said the Occidental Grand Flamenco, and he took me to the Occidental Grand Allegro, sometimes known as the Grand by Occidental or the Allegro by Occidental. I had to admit the mistake was understandable.
The circuitous route also gave me enough of a look at the area to conclude that there wasn't a lot to see outside of the resorts. The land away from the beach is rather hardscrabble. The nearby villages seem poor, and aside from a few markets, offer little but poverty for a tourist to see.
The resorts, on the other hand, are more luxurious than comparably priced properties in many other parts of the Caribbean. The Grand Flamenco, which I booked for $235 a night for a double at Hotels.com, is one of the more well-appointed resorts on Punta Cana. With 877 rooms, it's mid-range in size. But what immediately struck me upon arrival is how like a cruise ship it seems, and how huge it is.
At check-in I was handed a map to the 12-acre resort and its series of low-slung buildings with red roofs. I headed to the buffet and was overwhelmed with choices. At the time, I thought that it was like most buffets -- the emphasis on quantity, not quality. But that was before I sampled the buffets at somewhat cheaper resorts. Turns out that when it comes to all-you-can-eats, Grand Flamenco is very good.
I feel guilty complaining about the bountiful buffets. At every resort they included fresh fruit and salads, good bread and very tasty desserts -- and loads of everything. If the entrees on the main food line don't appeal, there's always a station where a worker is frying or grilling something to order.
I also tried the resort restaurants with table service. And while always satiated, I was never really satisfied. The meat at the more expensive resorts is definitely of higher quality, and they offer more entree choices prepared on the spot, but the differences seem marginal.
The Grand Flamenco didn't seem so big once I moved to the Barcelo Bavaro Golf Resort. While the resort has only 126 rooms, it's part of a Barcelo-owned complex that includes more than 1,800 rooms. At check-in I got a map and the offer of a $75-dollar-a-day golf cart to traverse the property and a free tram that cruises between hotels.
As a guest in the cheapest of the five properties (a double goes for $186 per night, although that price is pretty much beside the point except for purposes of comparison, since most people book package deals), I was entitled to use the facilities of any of the Barcelo properties, except the restaurants in the most luxurious of the hotels, the Palace.
Between hotel changes, I visited other properties. This was not always easy. The resorts are often rambling affairs a significant distance apart, if you're walking. And forget about driving: Unlike Cancun, there is no central road bordering the hotel district. Instead, there are a meandering series of roads without signs. Sometimes you need to take a taxi to easily find a resort just up the beach.
It's in the Details
Every property I saw was more luxurious than I'd expected for the price. All had well-groomed grounds with flowers and trees. All seemed clean. The staff I encountered were friendly, making me wonder if they are typical of Dominicans or only Dominicans in uniform.
