Occidental Punta Cana

Went with the family and had a great time! Hotel is I believe a little older but they take good care of it. Always cleaning the grounds, the public bathrooms and beach. Beach is great! Lots of people on the beach selling things but will leave you alone if you say no thank you. Our room was good. Maid would come by daily to tidy the beds and bathroom of needed. We always left a couple of dollars (US) for her. [Details]

The Occidental Punta Cana is a good and modern resort. Grounds are very clean and well maintained. Beachfront is one of the best I have been in the Dominica Republic. The resort, every morning, cleans the beach of any overnight seaweed that wash up and they rake the beach. (There was very little seaweed when we were there in late Jan 2023).

The beach is wide and long so you don't seem crowed but the beach vendors and hotel upsell and general vendors on the hotel grounds are a real pain in the derriere. The hustle starts when you get off the plane and continues right up to when you leave!

Their staff are very friendly and if you provide them a tip the added value they provide is even better. We always tipped and the staff really appreciated it. In general, they make very small salaries so the xtra money helps them a lot.

We were in Block 25 which is very close to the beach and main pool. The rooms are spacious and modern. Bathrooms are shower only. The resort upsell vendor was pushy enough when it came to upgrading to the Royal Level. Rooms are bigger but not worth the price difference. Leave me alone...I am on my bloody holidays!

The main buffet was nice and the seating very modern. A great selection of food. They also had beachfront Buffet which was great for breakfast. As for the a la carte restaurants, you need to book these right when you arrive as the time slots fill up very quickly. We went to the Italian, Steak House and Mexican. They were all fine. On another note even though they had a dress code this rule was not enforced which I enjoyed very much. The last thing that I wanted to do was dress up for dinner. I am on holiday to relax! People came in shorts and sandals which suited me just fine.

The nightly outdoor entertainment was a lot of fun and the music that was played in lobby bar was entertaining. The young activity monitors were all just fantastic; Nicol, Marie, Jerry and of course Spaghetti (and the others) were all very charming and polite and full of energy.

One more note WiFi was free anywhere on the resort but didn't work on the beach. Whatsapp works too.
All in all we had a great time. We highly recommend Occidental Punta Cana. [Details]

My experience at this hotel was average at best. Checkin was a nightmare, spent over an hour trying to get keys to the room and bracelets, though Leonardo tried to be as pleasant as he could. Food at buffets was awful as there was no variety at all.,as was drink selection and wines. Some of the staff were super engaging where as MOST were not issues with lights not turning off, safes not working , key cards deactivating. Seems like we were always at the desk for something. [Details]

We had an amazing family vacation. From the food to our wonderful chamber maid, bar staff, BUT especially our check-in.
Weslin at Reception accommodated our entire family in the same block and did so with courtesy and professionalism. We arrived later in the evening and we were within our rooms in no time. Thank you Occidental Staff! See you soon [Details]

Was my 27th visit to this beautiful place, with my son and 3 cousins.
A huge thank you to Weslin at the reception desk, who assured check-in was quick and easy, and always made it a point to make sure our needs were met with his attention to detail. Your customer service skills are remarkable.
A special note as well to Joseph who set up our spa visit .. that was THE BEST!!
See you next time!!! :-) [Details]

We had an excellent stay at this hotel. Food was great. Amazing beach! We stayed in oceanfront junior suite with hot tub and loved our room. We had no problem with getting towels both for room and beach. Our fridge was restocked daily with water, sprite, coke, and beer. [Details]

Overall it was a pretty good week. They do lack shady spot on the beach. The rooms were clean, the food was delicious, the staff was friendly. [Details]

This place is nice,excellent help at reception. [Details]

Bad service , people with no respect ,no smile [Details]

From the moment we checked in to the moment we left the staff were incredible. We were warmly welcomed by Weslin, Pedro, Yorji and were all incredibly helpful during our stay. Lucieni and Andrelys hands down made our stay extra special. Between Lucieni attention to detail when accommodation our group of 6 and Andrelys always making the perfect cocktail it really added to our stay. [Details]

Weslin, Pedro Yorji & Esmarlin (front desk staff) were absolutely phenomenal. Anderlys & the bar staff as well as Luciana & the breakfast/dinner staff were super attentive and always made sure everyone had what they needed. Noel & Joel were also fantastic. The staff at occidental made our trip so wonderful. Thank you for everything - we will definitely be back!! [Details]

Weslin and the rest of the front desk team were so kind! They were very attentive and made sure we had everything we needed. They truly made our experience 10x better.
We will definitely be back! [Details]

First I would like to praise the front desk staff lady Esmarlin Tejada, she did beyond amazing job getting my group of friends the best room upgrade and service possible for our entire week stay. The hotel itself is a great stay for couples and families, there was a range of ages. The disco is closed because of Covid sadly. There are two locations for main food servings. The best building to stay in is near the beach where the secluded pools are as it is quieter here. However the one thing I was not satisfied with is the entertainment, although the shows were great to watch, there was nothing else happening after that. I found it boring in the evenings as there was no disco or dancing, and for a 20 something year old a better nightlife would make this resort a 10/10 otherwise I give it an 8. The bar outside the resort drink point is an excellent escape for this sort of entertainment and is safe if you go with a group. [Details]

This is a late review, I was at the Hotel the week of my birthday (week of 27th November), In general the Hotel is good, The stuff too, The front Desk are all good, But Fermin was the best one, You cannot imagine how this guy is so helpful, he is so professional doing his work with more than 100%, each time I need an information or anything, I look for Fermin because I know he will help me with my concern, I want to thank him for making my journey with my Wife so beautiful, If I come back one day to that Hotel, I will make sure to call and ask if he is still working in that Hotel,
the things I didn't like is that the most of the stuff didn't speak neither French nor English, we do lot of efforts to understand what they want to say or what we want to tell them, I think a training with the basis will increase the happiness of visitors especially who don't speak Spanish, I was using my phone to translate each time,
my wife was pregnant and was so sick at the room and was so hangry, the responsible lady of the snack bar didn't let me take something to my wife, I tried to explain to her the situation and I know it's forbidden but in my case she needed to do an exception, a pregnant sick woman who cannot getup from the bed and who was so hungry !!! I think everyone can imagine the situation, instead of this the lady was so rude with me wasn't respectful, she is the same lady working at the entrance of the Mexican Resto I think (Resto at the 2nd floor right).
The last thing I wanted to speak about is food, some people are vegetarian or can eat only fish, the fish plates weren't that good, if you could increase the quality of this side, this will help too
at the end I can give my stay 8/10, and thank you everybody I really liked my stay at the Hotel, will come back one day for sure, but only if Fermin still working with you lol. [Details]

Ocean and beach were awesome. Pools were very shallow. People were kind but uninterested and service was slow. Food was horrendous. Room was super dated and old and lacked any character. Got family suite and kids sofa beds were literally just “put sheets on sofa”. Always pressured to do time share presentations. Wouldn't go back. [Details]

Our trip to the Dominican Republic was beautiful, and a much-needed transition from the restricted lives we've been living throughout the pandemic.

We arrived on September 3, 2021 and stayed at the Occidental Punta Cana. The weekends were quite heavily booked, but the capacity during the week greatly reduced with the majority of the remaining guests from Russia, Poland, Germany, the US, and Canada.
It was our first time staying at this hotel, and all-in-all must say that the staff and entertainment was wonderful, the food was great, and the accommodations were clean and comfortable.

The grounds are kept wonderfully clean, and the layout of the pools gave you an option to be in a very lively area or in one that was considerably more subdued. I'm not the type of person to take a vacation sitting next to the pool, but there may be reasons you might want to consider this, one of them being seaweed and something that many areas in the south experience this time of year. This did not deter me, as I was perfectly happy making use of the sea kayaks and catamarans that were included in the package. This is not to mention how therapeutic it is to lie on a chair by the beach taking in the sun while listening to the waves as they rolled in. Of course, there aren't many places you can go without being solicited by the local vendors who stroll along the beach. It was somewhat overwhelming at first, but then seemed to subside. We treated them with respect and they respected us. We saved our purchases for the final day on the beach, and for that, they were grateful.

As far as food is concerned, the resort features 11 restaurants with sit-downs (be sure to book them when you arrive) consisting of Italian, Oriental, Mexican, Seafood, and a Steakhouse. I didn't have a chance to try the Italian, but my personal favorite was the Mexican restaurant. All-in-all, the food selection was great and the quality was good as well. I only wish people would be forced to make a donation towards food banks for food that they pile upon their plates but don't consume. Clearly there are those that act upon a sense of entitlement without any regards to actual needs…..

The night entertainment varied between a band, a singer (Laribel - Dominican version of Chakra!), a person on a sax; all quite professional and certainly entertaining.

The room was very fresh and maintained perfectly during our stay.

Last but certainly not least was the hard-working and polite staff. Most notable was the front desk manager (Fermin), Alondra working in Guest Services, and German the waiter who all greeted us with smiles, tended to our needs, and spoke English really well; thank you being a great part of a memorable vacation; we will be sure to return! [Details]

Staff were very professional and service was excellent rooms were very clean and neat all services of the hotel we very good. [Details]

The Occidental Punta Cana from the Barcelo Group of Hotels / Resort is a good upkeep resort. Grounds are very clean and well maintained. Beachfront is one of the best I have been in the Dominica Republic. The resort every morning cleans the beach of any overnight seaweed that wash up and they rake the beach. The beach is wide and long so you don't seem crowed.

Their staff are very friendly and if you provide them a tip the added value they provide is even better. You don't need to Tip every time but they get many Russian Nationalists during January and February, they seem not to tip and Canadians and Americans always seem to be tipping more frequently and the staff seems to provide a better service to them.

I was in Block 24 which is very close to the beach and main pool. The rooms are spacious and modern. Bathrooms are shower only so if you are looking for bathtub I am not sure they have one. The resort was not very pushing when it came to their timeshare or vacation club. I don't think you need to spend the extra on the Royal Level. Rooms are bigger but not worth the price difference.

The main buffet was nice and the seating very modern. A good selection of food, but very repetitive. After the third day got bored with the selection. They also had beachfront Buffet but there the selection was even less. As for the Al-cart restaurants you need to book these right when you arrive as the time slots fill up very quickly. I went to the Italian, Steak House and Mexican. I would avoid Italian as its waste of time. The Steak House and Mexican were ok. On another note even though they had a dress code this rule was not enforced which disappointed me. Too many many men came in with shorts and sandals.

The Nightly entertainment was ok but the music that was played in lobby bar was really good in the early part of the evening.

One more note WiFi is not free anywhere on the resort. They wanted 45USD for 7 days. If you have a roam like home plan for your phone its cheaper to use your own plan then pay for their spotty WiFi. Plus you can use text and phone calls, then trying to use Wifi apps like Whatsapp or Signal. [Details]

Understaffed,very small beach,not enough space on the beach because they reserved half of it for the royals.below average repetitive food .very loud music. What bother most are the pedlars that are every where not only on the beach but every where trying to repeatedly to trick you into a scam planned by the hotel management. This resort is giving a bad reputation to the Barolo chain [Details]

We hae been to the Occidental Punta Cana for 14 days. We enjoy it. Beautiful site, clean, excellent food, animation team, spectacles, nice room. We tried all restaurant and everything was good. We receiving good services from the personal exceptionaly Kassandra Benjamin Perez who was wonderful. [Details]

We have been to this resort 4 years in a row ,as we do appreciate all the work that has been put into the resort and rooms we find that the music in the lobby bar during the afternoon and early evening needs to be addressed we didn't enjoy the funeral this year ,the music years before you played 60'S 70's 80's was so enjoyable please switch back also the band playing for almost 2 hours before the show is way to long we like Spanish music and understand it is your culture but listing all day at the pool bar and evening in the lobby bar and then so long before the shows is a bit much it is like if you want a good seat you have to sit through all the singing and to be truthful he is not all that great it was disappointing last year not quite sure if we will be returning this year on the other hand we loved the staff and the food everyone one goes above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable hope you can address this issue thanks [Details]

Before reading my comments, understand that we've travelled to quite a few different resorts and chains that fall within various ends of the spectrum (cost, services, prominent locations etc.).

1) The resort overall was meticulous. We were very impressed with the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the grounds and facilities. Hotel staff that were responsible for the upkeep of the rooms were extremely friendly, and were always willing to help accommodate our requests for additional and/or unique service requests that didn't fall within a typical cleaning schedule.

2) With respects to restaurants/food/beverage/service, we have the following comments:

a) The variety of A le carte restaurant's was excellent, but the service was somewhat disappointing. Overall, the service staff seemed more focused on clearing dirty dishes than making an effort to initially greet new guests. In one case, we waited for over 20 min (as did the new table next to us who were seated within the same timeline) for water and a greeting.

b) For those of you who are accustomed to travelling to other locations within the Caribbean, you may know that for the most part hotel staff can speak "enough" English to understand your orders or requests. At this location, and we've found this within most the Dominican Repulic, English is not widely spoken / understood so you'll need to have patience. The restaurant "Captains" were the only ones that took orders, so service can be slower than what you may be used to. Book your seating times around this as it can add as much as 45min or more to service time. (not an issue if you're truly on vacation mode :).

c) Main buffet's did not provide a lot of variety day to day, but the food was consistent.

3) Beach: The beach size and cleanliness was excellent given the amount of seaweed that would wash ashore each morning. Kudo's to the staff who were up at sunrise to give everyone the best experience possible!

4) Hotel Rooms: This resort does not offer smoke-free options for accommodations. For those of you who may have a sensitivity to smoke, I'd caution you to look elsewhere. The smell was prominent throughout the building, and each morning it was at times overwhelming. [Details]

Grounds, pool and beach excellent. Food needs some attention. Pineapple not cored before putting in bowls in buffet. Chicken overcooked and unedible. Meat generally not up to par, either overcooked or undercooked. Acoustics need to be adjusted as entertainment was far too loud to catch what was being said. So loud it could be heard in the lobby bar but unbearable to be near theatre. Even children were covering their ears. Chanting and clapping by staff outside buffet drowning out the sound of entertainment in the lobby and totally unnecessary. Very annoying to those waiting for dinner. Soft music while waiting to get in would be more enjoyable. [Details]

This was our 2nd time to the Occidental Punta Cana having been there last March. We found that this year there seemed to be so much more attention paid to the resort. There was always work being done around the villas, pool areas, grounds, walkways etc. We found the food was wonderful at the buffet with lots of variety. We enjoyed 4 of the 5 a la carte restaurants and found everything to be delicious. Our room was very clean and in good repair. Air conditioning worked well and we loved the fan over the bed! Our coffee maker didn´t work on the first day and one word to the cleaning staff and we were given a new one! The staff were always kind and friendly! I loved that they were patient with my broken Spanish! The beach area was gorgeous with lots of chairs! My husband loved the volleyball and tennis courts!
Overall, the only complaint we would voice is that they accept high school and college groups who tend to take over the resort at times and are not always respectful of adults and families who are there. At the bar areas we were often frustrated when the young people would cut the line and go to the side to ask for a drink. If they had made friends with the bartender then they were served ahead of others. It was certainly not as bad as we have experienced at other resorts in the past but are happy that we do not have to travel around Spring or March Break times again.
In all we would definitely recommend the Occidental Punta Cana as it truly is a beautiful resort and hope to return! [Details]

Like it very much would go back [Details]

Not enough English spoken by staff.Staff are very slow to respond to requests.very crowded and loud. [Details]

Smokers are everywhere!
They should have a designated smoking area because not everyone smokes, especially with a lot of kids around.

Not changing bed linens everyday. Left note 3rd night to change bed linens, just changed flat sheet. 5th night, left note again, didn't changed bed sheet. Bed sheets didn't change for 7 nights. We were group of 5, my 2 daughters and myself had bed bites (from bed bugs-I guess).

Only one restaurant for breakfast and it was horrible line up at the on the weekends. [Details]

Service at front desk is awful. You can't walk around the resort without someone trying to drag you in for a time share briefing and will not take no for an answer. Would not return to this resort. [Details]

we check in on Saturday and out a week later ! the weather was great and theres so much to do in this area [Details]

had a fun time ill be back. [Details]