Hacienda Garden Resort

I just returned from the Hacienda Garden Club (March 17th to March 24th) and I must say that my group had a fabulous time. Before my group went to the Hacienda, we researched what other people had to say about the resort, and were not disappointed with the results. First of all, the rooms are extremely cute. The little cabins are small, but the air conditioning really works. In terms of what we paid for, and the rating of the hotel, you basically get what you paid for - a basic hotel room. But hey, we didn't really spend a great deal of time in the room and there weren't any bugs crawling around. Our maid delighted in making various animals out of the Canadian towel we left lying around. The pools were fantastic, the beach was close and clean, the bartenders were great and the rum always was a flowing. We didn't mind the couple minute walk from the Garden to the Tropical but must admit that the majority of the time we spent at the Tropical either eating, for activities, or relaxing on the beach. The food was what one would expect for the price we paid. The buffet got a little boring after the first couple of days. The Bounty Bar's food buffet had the same thing everyday and there are only so many times one can eat fast food. Getting up at 6:30 a.m. to stand in line for reservations might seem like a little much on one's holidays, but it is worth it to experience the three different restaurants. In addition, the resort offered a series of adventures off their property. The trip to Paradise Island brought great pictures of tropical fish. Other members of our group adored the Outback Safari. Ocean World is worth attending if you are a dolphin fan. Overall, a good vacation that ended way too quickly. Go see Cheepy Cheepy Denny on the beach for great deals on little things to bring back. And - make sure you bring lots of small USD for tipping! :)

We have just returned and I am already wanting to go back. The resort was great...definately more than 3 stars. Our room was clean, and the houskeeper was fabulous! (she even brought us fresh flowers). There are a couple of restaurants that are hard to get reservations for, but the buffets are fabulous alternatives. There are some regular and constant foods (fruits and veggies) but lots of variety daily. The service was spectacular...from the bartender to the wait-staff, first class all of the way. I especially loved the evening markets, the locals on the beach and the nightly shows. My only complain...I didn't get to learn much new Spanish because EVERYONE spoke English! I am already planning to go back!

We loved the Hacienda Garden! We arrived in the rain and unfortunately it rained the whole next day but we were determined to have a great time anyway, and we did. I cannot tell you how many times I commented to my husband on "how cute" the cottages were that were staying in. I felt like I was staying in a fairy tale village. The garden and cottages were adorable and beautifully landscaped. The rooms are quite simple but they are airy and clean and we enjoyed the whole cottage feel of the place. The pool at the garden was never crowded and we did not have a problem getting lounge chairs. Our pool guy, Iris, was hilarious. "shut up" was his favourite saying. We laughed alot. We also enjoyed playing pool volleyball with him. I found that the buffets had a good variety of food and were very tasty. I was not impressed with the Blue Marlin restaurant but did enjoy the fish at the buffets. We would definately go back to the hacienda garden and were glad we did not stay at the tropical because there were more crowds over there.

my wife and i went on a whim,heard all the bad stuff about the garden..........we were scared. well guess what it was awsome. the place was beautiful. the staff were great,the place was spottless. it is a fact that the power goes out,ya for a minute,stop crying people you need to understand what kind of place you are visiting. the dominican people are very friendly,especially jose down at the beach. he is in the first hut to youre right on the beach. the beach dogs are friendly,the beaches are clean. i would reccomend it to any one. i hope you meet earl he was a blast. so go drink all you can eat all you can and have a blast like i did CHEERS ........CERVEZA PLEASE

I just returned from the Hacendia Garden Club, keep in mind this is rated as a 3 star reort. The room was clean, pillows were hard but if that's the worst complaint! This is my 3rd trip to POP and 3rd diffrent resort. I have stayed in 4-5 stras before. I was a little nervous but here is what myself and the couple that went with us saw. The service at the bar and smaller resterurant was 5 star, give them a little tip and the next meal you table is reserved, wine poured or beer they can't do enough. The showers were sometime on the cooler side but I enjoyed it. The beach bar and resurant was nice and I love wings and fires. The beer was coldest after lunch ,but it was right out of the bottle no on tap here. The cabana's were really nice,unless you want a hotel room, they were fresh, fans were nice they all had new air conditioners. Pools were clean and warm,by my standards. NO bugs in my room, could be the pennys or not, if you can't sleep beacuse of birds or crickets don't get the cabana's it is just like sleeping outside but with all the luxuries of a home. The yellow shirt people never even bothered us maybe we looked like we had no money! HAD A GREAT TIME. I am thinking of brining my 3 year old in November.

My husband and I just spent a week at the Garden Club (Feb 16-23). We have travelled to the Dominican 4 times prior to this visit and tend to read the reviews posted prior to booking a resort. This time friends booked the resort and we were a bit concerned as the reviews were less than admirable. However, much to our surprise, we booked a *** resort and got a ***+ resort. The service was excellent, from the bars, restaurants, poolside and even language wasn't a problem. The rooms were airy, bright, and clean. The rooms were made in a timely fashion daily and fresh linens provided as well. The pools were not crowded nor was the restaurant. The only weakness was the shower, you couldn't always get hot water. We had the choice of dining and swimming at the Tropical, but even though it had more of a selection, the crowds were a turn off (but at times that's what we were looking for). Some days we enjoyed the solitude of the Garden Club and others we partied over to the Tropical and took in the sites at the beach. We took the 'Outback' tour which was nice and gave us a chance to see the countryside (the only drawback here is that they take you to the poorest parts of the DR which does not represent the true picture). They never show you the middle to upper income districts nor do they discuss it. I think they are preying on your sympathy so you will tip them more. The best part of our trip however was a 'YukYuks' comedy we took. The comedians were hilarious and the casino was great as well. By the way, the Signature Rep at the hotel is great. RosannT

Reading everyone elses reviews, I thought it was going to be hell. But I had a blast. Everyone was friendly. There were probably 6 pools, 4 restaurants + 2 buffets at least 8 bars. I never even got sick and my stomach is sensitive. There is bottled water in the hotel rooms and all the ice, water and veggies are washed with purified water.The nightly entertainment and pool side activities were excellent. I would return in a heartbeat.

Two days ago we returned from the Hacienda Garden Club and had a ball the cabins were large the air conditioning worked fine and the food was great ....... My wife and I were treated great . The entertainment was local but done extremely professionally ( we did not expect Wayne Newton) . The grounds are clean and free of cigarette butts and litter .The beach is raked every morning and there is always a stray dog or two wandering on the beach you can seek a snack down to. (no there was not piles of droppings as reported by others) . The five Ala cart restaurants served up some real treats and if you go and tell them that you already booked your ala cart they would look at you with a puzzled expression and find room for you ( we never booked once) yet ate there when ever we felt the urge .. Power outages are a fact of life in the Dominican light a candle and continue to have fun ( they last a matter of minutes) and so are people begging and trying to make a living on the beach selling paintings and souvenirs if it bothers you just say no ... Reports of staff members trying to pick up your wife and the guys in the yellow shirts trying to sell timeshares are a huge exaggeration . The staff was friendly and professional and we told the timeshare dude no thank you and were never approached again . Anyone considering a trip to the Hacienda will not be disappointed ...

We have been going to the Hacienda Garden Club for 7 years. We like the idea of the individual huts, not a hotel atmosphere. The rooms are comfortable, with a queen bed. We didn't expect a suite, we don't go to spend time in our rooms. We have been to other countries and could not eat the food, I have had no problems here. As far as bugs, you see them at home don't you? We've never had a problem. Bring a can of raid with you, we do. No bed bugs. There are sand flees on the beach as there is on a lot of other beaches. We have always found the staff very helpful and friendly. People tend to forget that this is a third world country, and it's not like living at home. They try their best to cook different cultural meals. It's no different then us trying to cook different cultural meals. The beach is ok, not the best but certainly not the worst. But for the value, we think it's a great deal. What did you expect for the money??? We don't expect room service everyday, if we did we'd go to a 5 star resort.

My husband and I went to the Hacienda Gardens for our honeymoon...It was the Honeymoon from Hell! When we got to the resort at 1pm(when check-in was)we had to waited over two hours for the room...The first night that we were there we could not make any reservations for the resturant because you need to make the at 8 o'clock in the morning, who wants to be up that early on thier vacation. So we had to eat the buffet food, which really was not that bad until a few hours later when we got sick. After eating at the buffet we want to have some cocktails at the bar. We asked for a rum and coke, will they have this rum called mamajuana, DON'T DRINK IT...The mamajuana is extremely strong and will make you sick. The bar closed at 11pm so we had to walk from the Gardens to the Tropical to go to the 24 hour bar...The bars can not even make a simple drink such has a screwdriver. ..Later that night when we were trying to get some sleep, it started to rain. OK fine, so we thought...About 20 minutes after is started raining outside it starting raining inside our room...We called down to guest services to let them know, well I'm still waiting for them to come an fix it and I have been home for 3 days...HAHAHA..The people down there have a weird body odor to them and they are the most rude people that you have ever met...The food down there is either under cooked or over cooked...If I was to say that I was going to recommend any of the resturants that the resorts has it would be the Italian or the Sushi...The buffet does not have any variety nor does the resort have any room service...No one that I met down there speaks English or any other language then Spanish. ..My husband and I moved from the Garden to the Tropical and it wasn't much better. ..The power went out everyday that we were there. Sometime the power was out up to 4 hour and when the power went out the water went out....They do not have well water...They have about 10 to 14 water trucks per day bring water to the resort and that water is not for the pools...That water is so that the quest can take a shower, run the towlet, and run the sink. ...Then my wallet was stolen so my parents had to wire us money.....The ride from the airport was very short but when we had to drive from the resort to pick up the money in Puerto Plata, I was scared and thought that I was going to die...They have no really driving laws. When we got to the Western Union there was a guard in the building that was holding a shot gun, while holding a shot guns not the right word it was more like dangling the shot gun...You need bug spray when you go down there because the bugs down there love to bit...The air conditioners do NOT cool down the rooms and they leak next to the electric wires and outlets....WOMEN NEVER GO THERE WITHOUT A MAN TO PROTECT YOU....MEN NEVER LEAVE YOUR WOMEN ALONE WHILE YOU ARE THERE...The men that work at the resort love to flirt and touch young women from the ages of 16 to 40. DON'T GO TO PEURTO PLATA ONLY GO TO THE RICH AREAS...PEURTO PLATA IS A 3rd WORLD part of the country.