Dreams Dominicus La Romana

Background: We have just spent 14 nights here in a Deluxe two bed room (their basic offering). On arrival we paid for the upgrade to Preferred Club (cost $780). We have stayed in all inclusive resorts around the world so my comments are comparing like with like. The room was spacious and because we were on the top floor (UK second floor) the roof was exposed making it feel very airy. Note there are no lifts. The maid service however was dreadful, almost every day there were towels not replaced etc and on one occasion we were missing sheets after they had changed the beds! We also had to complain early on when the room had not been done by 3.30pm. Only twice in 14 days did they turn down the beds. Twice they left us Pringles that had gone off. The grounds are very well kept. This is really one big hotel Secrets/Dreams with a dotted line down the middle separating adults only from family. Whilst the water park is on the family side it is worth going to, the day we went it was fairly quiet and was mainly adults having fun. The Preferred Club - We were very glad we upgraded as we would have felt that we missed out on quite a lot if we had not done so. The preferred pool is very nice and was relaxed and peaceful the first few days that was until large groups of Americans turned up, they spent the day standing in the pool drinking and talking very loudly to each other spoiling the atmosphere. We had this problem for half the holiday, no other nationality was so inconsiderate or oblivious to what they were doing. The preferred lounge is also nice and the cocktail barman a star. You can also use Mare Grill for breakfast and lunch which is the only restaurant with views of the beach/sea. The cleaning was not that great in the buffet restaurant one day they moved a table and there was a pile of dirt under it. The waitress agreed that was wrong, the supervisor as well but did absolutely nothing about it. Tip: bring a magnifying glass as the map they give you is minute and unreadable, when I asked if they had a bigger map they said there was one on the app, enlarge it. Well there is one on the app even smaller and it will not enlarge when I told them this they just shrugged their shoulders. They should give some thought to the fact that the average age of the clientele no longer has 20/20 vision. Overall they could have a very good product here but the management needs to get a grip. For example they tell you in advance about all these dress rules but they do not impose them so we ended up bring far more cloths than necessary. If you are going to have rules impose them or don’t have them. Everyone wears T-shirts, beach shorts and flip flops to breakfast and lunch. At dinner most people do wear smarter shirts and tailored shorts/chinos although we did see one American who wore jeans, boots and his Stetson to dinner. There is a big choice of restaurants in the evening (note some of them are in the family side). The food we found to be very good everywhere. However, the service can be somewhat rushed at times with them turning up with one course before you have finished the previous one. Given there is not a lot to do in the evening this is not what you want. Also what surprised me is that most of the waiting and bar staff have very little English. Pretty good overall but just be prepared for the noisy Americans.

Resort buildings and grounds are lovely, bars were a bit slow with service but were otherwise nice. At one point housekeeping left our room door totally open, which was troubling, and there were other lapses in service that were frustrating. However, the spa and food were high quality, and the beach and pool felt spacious and well-maintained. Nothing felt crowded or gross, it was a classy and tranquil vibe all around. Biggest gripe is that the buffet is the only real food option for both breakfast and lunch. It's fine, but for a property with so many restaurants, it's odd that only the lowest tier is available most of the day. They are reserved for a higher tier of guest somehow, but it was never explained to me if that was tied to your room, or if it was an additional charge or something. I was just told that we weren't that kind of guest and could only eat at the buffet other than dinner.

The entertainment team was amazing! So attentive and fun to be around, they encouraged us to join in some traditional dances and other activities! Yuliana, Maria Reyes, Freddy, Rene the Rock, Miguel Angel, Pablo Picasso and Abraham especially were especially very welcoming!

My husband and I spend five days here for our birthdays in the beginning of January 26'. Upon arrival I noticed the grounds were immaculate, the staff that welcomed us were very friendly and warm. the hotel looked as luxurious as the photos, and from the second we were greeted everyone was super attentive to our needs and comfort. Luz from preferred checked us in, she was very helpful considering we wanted to check in but left to explore the area, Edwin who helped with our luggage and car rental parking went above and beyond. He was also helpful to show us around later in the evening when we needed a ride to the other area of the hotel that the night time bar was located as well as the entertainment. We saw him a few times and each time he made sure we were escorted in comfort. The DJ Delkin was awesome he took almost every request. The servers at the night time bar/ disco were all fun and attentive as well. The manager on duty Carlos King made sure we were happy at all times. The bartender in the lobby was awesome sorry I don't remember his name! The beach was beautiful, no seaweed, very beautiful water and super clean. The food was well prepared, the room was tended to beautifully. We had a great massage and a date night dinner that was probably my favorite part! The restaurants were all fabulous and did not disappoint. I want to go back I miss it at I am writing this review!!!!

Love the hotel but the rooms in Adult preferred on the 2nd block bottom floor remained damp as they have been in previous years. Ensure you ask for a dehumidifier in the room. We love this resort because the staff are wonderful especially at the Preferred pool bar Blue - Olga, Jose, Raul, Nikauri & Madeline. The Lobby bar in Adult only 18/68 Kelvin, Alejandrina and Elian made sure they met all our needs as they all did last year too. Food needs to be warmer, by the time you are served the food on your plate was cold in the adult preferred buffet, they need to get this right - use a temperature prodder ! The above won't prevent us going gain as we have already booked, but is the difference in a 4 star and a 5 star review. We asked for an upgraded room due to the damp and were told they were over-subscribed which was not true as they were offering new arrivals upgraded rooms at a cost.