Dreams Dominicus La Romana

We planned this vacation as our 4th and final child graduated from HS. Thanks to a travel agent (organizing any family vacation for six without renting a house is mind altering) we chose an all-inclusive. After debating between the DR, Jamaica and Yucatán, we decided on the DR. We wanted to be away from Punta Cana for a more relaxed atmosphere. Bayahibe was it. Secrets La Romana Resort & Spa was our choice. I spell the name out like that because you’ll get Dreams Dominicus or others if you don’t pay attention. The location is beautiful. The beach is beautiful with a very small amount of Sargassum (considering the blankets of it elsewhere). About an hour shuttle ride from the airport. I apologize in advance for the length this review will be, but….. Check in: Easy. We arrived around 11 but couldn’t get our rooms until 3. They held our bags for us. We packed swim gear in our carry-ons so we swam and hung out until our rooms were ready. They’ll try to sell you on the Preferred upgrade. Too expensive for our gang even when they lowered it a bit. Not worth it for our needs….but in the high season, it might be worth it specifically how quickly chairs by the pool/beach go. My wife and I got up around 8 and were able to “claim” 6 chairs with bags and towels but the 6AM shuffle during the high season is a real thing. You can upgrade to a butler with the preferred room and again, in the high season may be worth its weight in gold for chairs alone and restaurants/activities booking. Room: Very nice. As always, there are maintenance items that I notice, being in the construction industry, but everything worked well and was in good condition. The grounds were beautiful. The covered walkways (which were apparently installed somewhat recently) are a godsend from the sun. Room tipping: A dollar or 2 in the mini bar fridge will get you extra beer/drinks/snacks etc. You won’t notice a big difference by tipping your house cleaner, but they work hard and we tipped $5/day. Hospitality/Service: We were very pleased by the hospitality. 99% of all employees we met greeted us cordially with at least Hola. Even if your Español is as shabby as mine, they appreciate the effort when you greet or reply or ask for anything in Spanish. From a service standpoint, keep in mind you’re on island time. As hot and sweaty as you are, they’re hoofing it around hot grills/bars/walking miles delivering drinks in the sun. Many working 12 hour days in said heat. The employees will do whatever they can to help you, just be patient. Some service highlights for my family were at the infinity pool area. The waitress that we experienced the most Amairy Nolasco (I asked for her last name). Every so often, we would tip her a dollar, sometimes more if the order was larger. By the end of our stay, we had extended conversations with her about her and her family. At the swim up bar, Yeifry is the man. Personality, no underpours and a genuine nice man. Again, a dollar every so often goes a long way. Most liquor is low to mid shelf, but when the tiny bottle of Bombay Sapphire disappeared for my requested G&T, I said to my son under my breath that I’d order something else since they were out, Yeifry disappeared behind the bar with a new bottle and with a wink and nod, mixed my drink. Master class in service. Food: Since this is so subjective, I won’t go into too much detail. The breakfast buffet (we didn’t do a lunch buffet) is decent for what you might like. Breads and pastries were plentiful and tasty. Omelettes were good and plenty of fresh fruit. A lot of daily repetitions but that’s to be expected. Our favorite meals (both Secrets and Dreams side which you have full access to) were at Ausungate (Peruvian) and El Camino (SW/Tex Mex). Our least favorite meal was at Maravento (Italian). Surprised us, but aside from the bread at the beginning, most food was disappointing. Again, you may read other reviews exactly opposite, but that’s how food/service, etc goes on reviews like this. Honorable mention: Noor (Mediterranean). The food was very good. The taste profile was not appealing to a couple of palates but the quality was good and the presentation was beautiful. Keep an open mind for food in general. They will always advertise gourmet dining. The presentations are almost always gourmet, both in look and portion size. But this is food on a large scale. My expectations were medium. Some were exceeded, while others met, and a few were lower. Various grills: One had burgers/dogs/chicken and the other technically on the Dreams side, had tacos/burgers/dogs and nachos. The tacos (especially the Al pastor) were the best of the lot. All else is what you might expect at any hotel or beach hut. Quick nosh to not pass out from drinking at the pool bar. Other entertainment: While we didn’t participate in any of the activities or entertainment (mostly on the Dreams side), we did frequent the Sports Bar. World Cup was on. It was a great place to come and hang out, play some pool, watch various sporting events on the many, many tvs and have some cool cocktails. If you’re staying in Dreams, they are spot on strict about kids and teens under 18 being out by 10. No exceptions and they will card or cross check room numbers. We went to the water park twice. The water slides were fun and the lazy river was relaxing and refreshing with the occasional waterfall. We appreciated the security staff at certain venues (casino/sports bar) but in particular at the property perimeters. We left the property for a snorkeling excursion and we met a shuttle at the public beach entrance which borders Secrets at the water sports rental area. There was a guard there checking any and all when they left and when they returned. I’m sure it’s common practice and is proper business practice but it was reassuring. Pools/Beach: Strange that I almost left this out. To me, beaches and pools are not the be all end all, provided they are properly sized and clean. The infinity pool was clean and at least for the low/shoulder season of mid June, was perfectly sized. The beach was plenty wide provided you’re not hyper sensitive about the occasional piece of loose seaweed, coral or sea grass on the sea floor. If you are, wear water shoes. There were plenty of chairs at the beaches edge, again for June. I hope this helps. I’m sure I could have added more but my thumbs hurt.

Diorka our beach waitress, was awesome. Went above an beyond. She is very friendly . Always a Smile. Thank you so much .

Angelica Cuevas was amazing. She tended to our every needs at the pool. Great service.

Great place for vacation. People are very polite, food is excellent, everything is clean. You can fully enjoy in your vacation.

Ausangate was the best meal my whole group had for dinner throughout our stay. Great food and even greater service. Franchesco was a phenomenal server!