Luperon Beach Resort Hotel

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Five of us went to the Luperon Beach Resort over Christmas and New Year and had a mostly excellent time. The weather was excellent 13 out of 14 days (with the only rain coming occasionally through the night and on the last day of our holiday) and the grounds were very well kept. There are 4 pools; 2 of which seemed more lively than others as there were activities held there throughout the day (pool games, dance lessons etc) so it was nice to have the option of some more relaxed ones as well.
The food at the buffet restaurant was great - there was a great selection - in the 2 weeks I'd tried many foods I'd never had before such as crab, lobster, rabbit, quail, caviar, plantains - however, there were also things like chicken, steak, pork, pizza and so on. There were occasional dishes such as paella, chilli etc. I didn't really care for the snack bar food as most things came in buns, which I always found quite dry, possibly due to the heat.
One thing to point out though: we were informed that there were 4 a la carte restaurants to choose from, which sounds like ample choice. However, it turned out that there was only 1 functioning a la carte restaurant with 4 menus, this meant that reservations were very hard to come by (even trying to book at just after 07:00 was unsuccessful). It turned out that we never managed to book a table in the whole 2 weeks we stayed there, but we didn't mind too much as the food in the buffet was nice enough.
The rooms are fairly basic (no sink for drinking water, tea making facilities etc) however, we anticipated this and spent very little time in our rooms anyway. There are a few English speaking channels (ESPN News, CNN, TNT, TBS) but most were in Spanish, so bringing some form of entertainment yourself might be advisable incase there's nothing you like there.
Maintenance was our biggest gripe, I went without a functioning shower for over a week (reporting it every day) and it took a further few days and a report to the manager to get hot water. This wasn't a problem as I could shower in somebody else’s room, but if that wasn't an option I'd have been pretty angry about it.
Our second biggest gripe were the on complex shops - almost no items had a price tag and so the price was made up on the spot and changed every time you went in (we bought 2 pairs of sunglasses for $35 one day, then went in the next for someone else and they asked $30 for one). You'd expect a mark-up in price for the convenience, but it was too much (another example: a bag of cheetos in the local town of Luperon cost around $1, but they were asking for 5 there). My advice would be to take a trip into Luperon or La Isabella and you'll get much better prices there.
Outside of the main restaurant you'll see the 'Welcome Back Club' who will be very friendly the first couple of days, coming up to you to shake your hand and sit down at your table to talk for a while sometimes. After a few days you're invited to talk for a while and lead to a Holiday club presentation. This took about an hour and was never too pushy - we didn't like the idea of it, politely refused and it was accepted. However, after we'd been to the presentation we found ourselves ignored by the people that had been so friendly just days before, which we resented a little; however, they're just doing their job and it's sometimes better not to be hassled.
Although the weather was mostly good, it was a problem when there was a little wind or rain. Everything is open plan (the bars, the restaurants, the activity areas) and so when it rained, it was either a case of sitting there getting wet or heading back to the room early - it would be a good idea to invest in some indoor facilities, or at least some protective coverings that can be pulled down in case of these eventualities. The floors in the restaurant got very slippy when wet and we witnessed a few people falling, and I myself fell down some stairs. Luckily no one got hurt, but it should have been an easily avoidable problem.
Sun loungers around the pool and beach are often taken up very quickly, and people will simply put a towel down to reserve them and not come back for hours. It is stated that this is against the Hotel rules, and so we took to simply removing the towels and taking the loungers if no one returned to them after a period of time, so it was not a big problem. The German guests seemed to be the biggest offenders here, but I don't wish to stereotype and do not know if this is typical of what happens all year round.
The Animation Team put on some great shows that mainly consisted of dance routines and occasional short comedy sketches in-between, possibly to give the performer’s time to change. My personal favourites were the Blues Brothers performance and the African Theme night, so look out for them if they're still on when you visit. The only negative to this was that the shows took place from 22:00 until around 23:00 and there was not much else to do afterwards unless you wanted to go to the disco (23:15 - 02:30), however, this isn't for everyone and so some might feel a bit lost after the show unless they brought their own entertainment (a book, a deck of cards, hand-held computer games and so on).
The resort is quite far removed from any large cities and so it can feel at times like you're stranded on the resort - sitting by the pool all day every day might get a bit tedious after all. However, we took a couple of trips into Luperon, the marina just a 5 minute walk down the road and went on a few of the excursions to break up the fortnight. The Mega Trucks excursion was great - you took a tour of the area in a big 6 wheeler truck, visiting a real Dominican village and seeing how they really live off-resort. Horseback riding through areas where apparently some scenes from Jurassic Park were filmed, taken to a beautiful beach and finally to a place to see how cigars and Mamajuana are made. We all had an excellent day out and would recommend it to anybody.
In the car park just outside the main entrance is a place where you can book Quad Bike excursions - my dad and I took the 4 hour excursion for $80 per person and we both had an amazing time. You'll be taken through the country to see more of the amazing scenery, real Dominican Republic, the rivers, beaches and so on. You'll take occasional breaks where you're free to test the speed the bikes along the beach and so on, which is good fun. After about 2 hours you'll reach La Isabella and stop for a drink and snacks which they paid for. I'd definitely recommend doing this if the weather is nice because it was a big highlight of the trip.
So... I hope that gives you a good idea of what to expect (based on our experiences) and despite some of the flaws, we still had an amazing time.

Luperon Beach Resort is an excellent hotel to stay at. I've been there twice and am going back again this year (2008). It's a wonderful tropical paradise. Although it is not for everyone. For instance, people who complain alot or people who are extremely fussy.
Food - Great, all different types and has a la carte. BBQ's down at the bottom near the beach at lunch time, Italian, Mexican, Spanish and a main restaurant. If you want to book a meal then you should be at the main restaurant early! Queues can occur early.
Activities - There is Horse Riding, Water Activities, Kids Club, Tennis, Basketball, Archery, Banana Boat and Table Tennis. The kids club you've got to be under 12 and you've got to book the Horse Riding and the Banana Boat on the morning you want to go. They have fitness and games in the main pools at various times.
Service - The staff is really friendly especially the animation team! They’re great. You will want to tip them!
It's a great place. If you’re not a bug person then watch out for ants! You'll be walking around and a troop of ants will suddenly come marching from around the corner. There are four pools and they do get cleaned regularly, but with there being plenty plants around, lot's of dead leaves fall into the pools!
It is a poor country though, and it is only a 3 star hotel. Places do need repainting, but that’s what they have been working at for two years nearly. Don't give them a hard time. They speak good enough English, but they don’t speak perfect English! It was a great time. If you call for a taxi then make sure that you ask for a car, otherwise they will bring a motorbike for way more than 2 people. They also run on their very own homemade alcohol drink. Which if you like, you'll have to go back for it. It is illegal to take it out of the country because it is so flammable!

Well where to start! The most amazing holiday I have ever been on!
The animation team are awesome and make the holiday very entertaining! They stay up till late and the shows they put on every night are hilarious! They entertain in the pool as well as put on activities for the whole family to enjoy e.g. aerobics, basketball and touch just to name a few. In the mornings they would start with a game and get as many people to join in as they could, they are also very persuasive people!
The beach is very looked after and the sea was gorgeous, it was like getting into a hot bath. I made friends with the jewellery sellers and they also made you feel very welcome. They would make whatever you asked them too and nothing was much trouble.
The bar staff weren’t that friendly but they made good drinks and never made a mistake, I guess asking for both were abit much! The floors by the bars got very slippery when they were wet but they soon sorted it out and put mats down so it wasn’t too bad.
The hotel rooms were basic and always kept very clean, the cleaners made sure that there was fresh water in the fridge every morning and changed the bed sheets every day. The air con was very cold and it was nice to get into a cold room after sweating from dancing so much in the disco.
The pools were kept very clean and looked after and they had lots of shade!
The locals come down on the weekend and try and takeover. They would push in front in the queues whilst getting food but if you put them in their place then they start to respect, don’t let them put you off.
The food was good and the restaurant staff were very welcoming. I met a guy in there and spent most of the day with him when he wasn’t working.
I made so many friends that I was sad to go and leave them! Donato and Mario (on the animation team) are the funniest guys that I have ever met and the girls were amazing dancers!
Basically I could go on all day about how nice this place was! The trips were amazing but we didn’t book them with the reps we booked them privately as this worked out much cheaper and you get a much better choice!
This was a much recommended holiday and as soon as we got back in August we booked the same hotel and time for next year! To be fair I wouldn’t chose to go to a better place!

Me and my friend went to Luperon Beach Hotel in June 07 for 2 weeks. Neither of us had ever been to Dominican Republic and were a little apprehensive due to stories of it being really dangerous. These stories are all totally ill-founded and untrue!!!
We had the best holiday of our lives. Everyone in the hotel made our holiday amazing and special. The hotel rooms are basic but very clean. The staff there are very friendly and nothing is too much trouble. Everyone is very polite and friendly from the restaurant staff, to the bar staff to the guys selling their jewellery and carvings on the beach.
However, I must say a special thanks to the animation team, Roberto, Hans, Raphael, Eddy, the DJ, Mario and the girls (Hope I didn't miss anyone out!). They are the most wonderful and entertaining guys! They are all really fantastic fun and the shows they put on every night are excellent! They continue working into the small hours of the morning dancing with everyone in the disco and teaching Bachata and Merengue.
Another mention must go to the watersports guys, Raymond, Eddy and Spaghetti Man (Wellington). Another group of wonderful guys!
We had such a fantastic time, that within 6 days of returning home, we had rebooked to go again in October! We have been back now almost 3 weeks and are missing it terribly. This holiday, however, was a little different as we spent a lot of nights in Luperon town in the nightclubs there and in the town drinking rum with the locals until 4am in the morning! The people of Luperon are the most welcoming people I have ever met and we made many lovely friends.
We will definitely be going back in 2008 and for many years to come!
PS - Grumps - we went just after we heard the stories of you falling off the bull!!! Thankfully, we all got on and off safely! You were the most talked about holiday maker!!! I hope your arm is ok!

Absolutely stunning. Thomas cook reps very helpful and even more friendly. Accommodation basic but all you needed.
Locals the happiest and friendliest I have ever come across, the staff were brilliant nothing was too much trouble and everything they did was with a smile.
Me and my family will be going back there on our next holiday.

Was a bit worried about going to Luperon, because, 1 I had never been to the Caribbean and 2 because of some of the reviews I had read.
We went as a family of 5 - 2 adults 3 kids. Well we had a blast!
Weather was fantastic, resort great, staff could not do enough for you, entertainment team brill {they make your holiday] look out for Eddie, and Spaghetti.
The rooms were clean hot water always sheets changed every other day clean towels daily.
The pools were fine, except pool with the waterfalls you could not get a lounger in the morning, towels on the beds from 6 in the morning. Pool next to the entertainment much better quite, and plenty of shade.
Food was fine no one was ill. Was shocked at the prices for some of the trips one day out for the 5 of us on the monster trucks would have cost £250 and the rep was rubbish, he was very dismissive, bought a phone card for$15 never received change from a $20 .
Rubbish about the locals taking over the resort there was a few but very friendly and polite but all in all a great holiday.

Overall we had a good 2 weeks. Rooms were basic but very clean, everyone who worked there were very friendly (apart from one bar man who served all blonde women first!), they all worked very hard.
Restaurant was very clean and tidy too, they made a huge effort with presentation although food did get a little boring after a while. You get on arrival tickets for the a la carte restaurant, we only went once as it was similar food to the main restaurant.
The trips turned out to be quite expensive, we went on the Dominican discovery and the Catamaran. Both were good days out, broke the 2 weeks up as it got very boring sitting on the beach or by the pool everyday!
Beach was nice, few bits of litter though and sea can be quite rough.
I would recommend this holiday to families and group of friends looking for a cheap holiday to the Caribbean!

Very run down needs a good refurb. When we arrived after a long flight and dropping every one else off at there hotels, we had to change rooms as opened balcony door and that fell off! Next room wasn't much better, everyone we talked to had changed their rooms two or three times.
After being there a few days they started refurbishing work, closing some of the bars one of the pools and pathways which we wasn't told or warned about. At the weekends they let the locals into the resort and they take over everything till Sunday night, so book your al-a-carte for Friday and Saturday. Some good trips were OK which you needed to get away from the resort.

My wife & I had a great time there. The animation team especially deserve a mention, they worked so hard for everyone, from around 10.00 thru to 02.00, and they were brilliant!
All the staff were really nice to us and the maids kept the room nice & tidy (a little tip goes a long way).
The grounds, pools etc were always well kept, one couldn’t want any more.
On a bit of a downside, our room looked a bit sad for itself. It had had a coat of paint slapped on and looked very amateurish, the air con once I figured out how to turn in on (I had to stick a finger in hole-no switch) wasn’t up to the job as it was well past its sell by date!
Also, when the people above us had showers, the water came through the ceiling in the bathroom bringing with it dirt etc from above. We reported it and eventually they came to fix it but the repair lasted 2 days hmm.
Otherwise-an excellent holiday.
If anyone goes on a trip via the holiday reps please take care. I had a nasty accident while on Dominican Discovery trip. If you decide to have your photo taken on the bull (you will know what I mean if you go), take extra care when getting off the bull. I slipped & broke my elbow & ended up in Hospital till the end of my hols...beware.

I just wanted to write a review to tell people how brilliant this hotel is. You’re missing out if you change your mind to go to this hotel!
The best part was the animation team they entertained you all day and up till 2oClock in the morning when the disco closed. I have met some amazing people there. I have been three times and the resort has just got better and better also I am going back next year.
I met a family who had also been there three times this shows that the hotel is very good. Also the variety of food was amazing. There is an a la carte there which hosts Spanish and Italian nights. If you go you will find anyone you meet including locals will make you feel welcome.