Occidental Caribbean Village Hotel

This was the first time I've been to the Caribbean and I'll definitely go back.
I can't recommend Dom Rep. enough. I was on holiday with a friend for 1 week and mid way through we both were wishing we booked for 2 weeks.
The accommodation was very comfortable and staff quickly addressed any problems that we had. The staff within the bars and restaurants were excellent and the entertainment team where fantastic. There where plenty of activities during the day to keep you occupied and the evening shows were first class. Our favourite with the Masquerade Show, which included songs from the Phantom of the Opera.
This hotel is a 10 min. walk from the beach - but they provide transport that runs frequently throughout the day. There is also loungers and a bar service available at the beach that is all inclusive.
The food was presented in buffet style. There was always plenty of choice suitable for everyone. Excellent value for money. You also had the choice of booking a table twice a week in the Al a carte restaurant and you could also book a table at the Occidental Gran Flamenco.
I would return to this hotel again.
Don't be put off by the idea of going to a complex. The grounds around each hotel are huge, as its built around a golf course - so you really don't feel that you are being separated or protected.
The Dominican people where very friendly and welcoming.

When we arrived we were put in a room with no balcony or terrace so complained and were moved into a fantastic room with balcony, living area and giant bed, the air conditioning worked great and the bathroom was clean and white, definitely paid to question our first room.
We were there out of season so the entertainment was few and far between but we had expected that. The tennis courts were well kept and staff on hand to play whenever we required. The gym was also air conditioned so was easy to use in the heat.
There were 2 swimming pools, one quite and out of the way which children were not allowed in. the other quite busy and loud with fights for beds, so we stayed away.
The food was good and varied, but not the nicest I've had. A la carte was great, but you could only go once.
We got collared by some holiday reps selling a holiday club, big mistake, we couldn't get away for about 2 hrs, this was a disappointing part that they were praying on guests at the hotel.
The beach was a way away, but free tractors to take you down and back, and the beach was clean and sandy, although beware of street sellers.
Overall a good trip, booked last minute and relaxing enough, but quite economy for an All Inclusive.

Just returned from this hotel today - STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS. First thing to point out is that we have been to the island before and are seasoned travellers, so our expectations are not unrealistic. The only positive comment is that SOME reception staff are friendly, as are the entertainment crew. The bar staff can be rude and unhelpful, as was our Travel Rep.
Upon arriving at the hotel, we had to move rooms immediately as both windows could be opened from the outside and had obviously been broken into before. We then had to move rooms again due to the reception losing our key. All rooms are dimly lit and very poorly maintained.
The food is of poor quality and selection is not varied. Snacks through the day were good, but food at dinner times was distinctly unimpressive, especially for children. Ourselves and other guests had stomach problems after eating the food.
On several occasions the toilet facilities near the pool and bar had flooded, with faeces covering the cubicle and floor. I never saw the toilets being cleaned.
The pool is fairly small and can be difficult to use during daytime activities.
The entertainment staff were very friendly but the quality of evening entertainment was poor to the point of being comical.
These negative comments are not down to personal taste as many other guests complained, with ourselves and at least four other couples trying to transfer to other hotels. The resort is also close to the airport, so planes often fly close overhead. Although not a factor for us, we heard other guests who were staying closer to the resort centre complained of noise due to the disco until very late. We did however notice that the room walls are extremely thin and the slightest noises can be heard from neighbouring guests.
We are not in the habit of complaining and have never felt the need to leave a poor review about any holiday, but I'm afraid that this hotel failed on just about every count. Again, we are not hard to please and have stayed in some 2 star hotels of better standard than this. The island can be beautiful so please don't be put off going to the Dominican Republic completely!

This became a holiday of a lifetime! (And I really wasn't expecting it!)
taking with me 2 teenage daughters I thought we were just going to chill, but boy was I wrong! Not to say that you couldn't do that, it's just that there is so much you can do if you want to and we just took the offer up!
We loved the hotel. I think it's been having a bad time on bookings of late cos there weren't many guests booked in at the time we stayed. Maybe that added to our holiday (after all we got soooooo much attention)
Saying that the Dominicans are such a friendly, welcoming people you can’t go wrong!
I liked where we were situated, not far from the beach, a pleasant walk to the plaza shopping area , and not too far from the nightlife either!
You’ve just got to get used to the currency exchange rates (it can be quite confusing trying to convert £'s - dollars -pesos, so think about it carefully before you buy!
overall we had a FANTASTIC TIME and I can't wait to go back again!

Recently returning from Dominican Rep wasn’t impressed with this hotel, led to believe it was an upgrade by the tour operator, and it certainly wasn’t, food was awful, didn’t have any storage space in the room, so had damp clothes for two weeks, the rooms were kept clean and the staff were very helpful and friendly, this hotel is not the same as shown in the brochure, with fancy glasses and flower displays everywhere, it is very basic and all the drinks are served in plastic cups.
A photographer came while we were there to take photos for a brochure and five minutes after he had gone the hotel transformed back, I was very impressed with the animation team, they worked really hard to entertain everybody. The weekends were an absolute nightmare, when the locals came in and took over the hotel, they were so rude, pushing guests out of the way, and always getting served far quicker than any of the guests.
When we went to the welcome meeting the rep advised us we should stay away from the hotel at weekends, what a cheek, didn’t realise I had only booked weekdays! At the airport everybody was ripped off by people offering to help with your luggage, whether you wanted it or not, it seemed that there was a standard charge of $10 which nobody was warned about.