Gran Ventana Beach Resort Hotel

“ overall hotel very good. service and staff helpful.a bit tatty in places but hotel was having face lift whilst we were there.food good to very good. ala carte italian and seafood were the best.entertainment team worked hard, some amaturish. main acts were good.drinks were plentyful and good quality.fridge was topped up every day with beer and soft drinks.beach was lovely even with small amount of hassle from local sellers.plenty of room for sunbathing everywhere but it was only third full.wasnt keen on too many locals staying at weekend. seemed to take over. would not come back to this hotel again because we dont do that sort of thing but would recommend it to others. very good holiday here.most staff very friendly and helpful.

“ Top Tip: stayed in complex all time but our son went out to clubs and said it was good.cant find a section on travel company but cant rate travel republic high enough, excellent.brilliant.would definately recommend.! ! ! !

“ I have just returned from a wonderful two week stay at the Gran Ventana. All went without incident.
The room was large a thoroughly cleaned on a daily basis. The fridge was re stocked with beer and soft drinks, plus a good supply of drinking water, on a daily basis.
There was always hot water on tap in the bathroom. The beds were made up daily and fresh towels were in plentiful supply on request.
The food was very good all week. A large selection was always on offer and of good quality and variety. I did enjoy the omelettes in the morning and eating at the Ocean grill for lunch, over looking the beach.
IThe hotel was great, the staff were brilliant and very eager to please. Getting a drink or a refill was no problem at all and the staff were very attentive. The hotel was spotless and was cleaned daily. There were two pools, the main one had all the activities and the ‘quite’ pool was across the road past reception. depending on your needs, both are available all day long. I preferred the quite pool most days as you could have some peace and quite, plus a good swim the the large rectangular pool.
I also spent at lot of time on the beach. The best bit I thought that was provided by the hotel was the permanent sun canopies, that were numerous and always available. This allowed for a break from the sun, which could get very hot from 11am onwards.
The beach was very clean and swimming or snorkelling in the sea just off the beach was great and felt very safe. If you went out a little further the reef as less sand polluted and there was more reef live and fish to be seen. The beach vendors became a little tiresome after two weeks, constantly having to say “no gracias” became a bit of a pain, especially when I wanted no hassle and just wanted to relax. The beach vendors did generally leave you alone for the day once you had declined their advance, but they did come back the next day and the next, etc. !
Note this cannot be controlled by the hotel as it is on the public beach
I think the hotel position is the best of the surrounding hotels. The beach front I would say was the best, not to big a swell or undercurrent, which was evidident at some of the other hotels and a big plus was the sun canopies, whcich were non existant or not as numerous at adjacent hotels.
The beach is extensive in both directions from the hotel. I walked 1 hour in both directions during my stay and found the walk to be wonderfully relaxing with hardly anyone around. I felt safe, but did leave my watch and money at the hotel.
I didn’t partake in the daily pool activities or the evenings entertainment, as this isn’t my thing. it did get rather loud and the music wasn’t to my taste!
On this note, when I booked the room I did ask for it to be away form the entertainments area, which it was, so the noise level from the pool area was almost non existent. Any closer though, particular fronting on to the pool, would prevent any afternoon naps in the room or early nights as the music went on to 12am.

I would recommend this hotel as it covered most things I think people would want from a hotel. As to whether this is a 4 star hotel in relation to a 4 star hotel in the UK is debatable, probably more like a good 3 star, but you get what you pay for and the hotel for two weeks was not that expensive and there was excellent service all round.

good points
beach, hotel cleanliness, quite pool, food, staff, airport transfer time, service.

bad points
Loud music around main pool all the time, $30 for the room safe.

“ Top Tip: For a quite night, book a room away from the main pool area booked two trips through Hola, Paradise Island ($97) and Horse Trekking, with Rancho Montana www.ranchomontana.com ($50). I can recommend both.
Paradise Island is a long day, but worth it, just for the boat ride alone. The island is in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a stunning reef, that you can snorkel over, guided by safety boats and life vests provided.
The Horse Trekking was wonderful. I was the only person on the trip and was picked up, taken on the Trek and back (including soft drink, coffee and fresh orange), all for $50. The scenery was breath-taking and certainly gave me a better view and understanding of the way of life in the Dominican Republic that you don’t get from the hotel.
I booked another trip through the hotel, via Anfonso (Water sports Centre; Pro Dive), which was Scuba Diving at Sosua Bay. The dive involved two dives over the reef for 45 and 35 minutes a piece. The reef is absolutely stunning and is 100 times better than the reef by the hotel, which is not in good health due to sand siltation problems. I can highly recommend this trip or something similar that involves snorkelling, I understand the catamaran on the beach sailed there on a weekly basis. Cost was $100 for two dives, plus $45 for a DVD and photo's taken on the first dive.
Alfonso and Ricardo who worked in the Water Sports Centre were a real joy and very enthusiastic. They provided snorkelling gear and kayaks, which were complimentary of the hotel each day for an hour.
I was however very disappointed with the provision of sailing, which was advertises as free for an hour each day. The dinghy provided was of a very poor quality and hadn’t been maintained and the tiller extension was missing. They wanted $5 each day to cover the insurance. The boat wasn’t worth $5. I took it out once and that was enough. I had booked the hotel because it advertised sailing and was hugely disappointed for this reason.
Another grip, would be that the bikes the hotel again advertised, free daily for an hour, were all out of operation for two weeks, each with two flat tyres and were not repaired. Again disappointing considering this is supposed to be a a fully inclusive 4 star hotel.

“ fabulous for families but not the epicentre for entertainment for adults at night. we didn't mind as the kids were entertained. adults could have a lovely quiet drink at one of 2 bars away from the entertainment however. cannot praise the staff enough and please remember a little hola, por favor and gracias along with a small tip goeas a long way.

“ Top Tip: top tip- quiet pool- so relaxing away from the day time activities. Jacqui behind the bar is a legend but beware she takes a day to get used to!! We felt part of a family with the staff and do pls try limited Spanish, it's not difficult but appreciated. Don't pack your travel iron in your hand luggage it will be confiscated on the way out.Don't bother with hair straightners etc they don't work-hairdryer in room and good brush and dehumidifying spray is enough.Brought high heels and never wore them. You don't need any shawls,heavy lined evening wear- you'll boil. You will adore the staff and all have kids so maybe bring some sweets, pencils etc instead of tips if you want they will be appreciated. Bring a travel mug 4 the beach staff will fill it with anything otherwise you loose your drink in minutes with the wind. Go to the mall in the evening when it's less hectic and go to 2nd floor where it's cheaper. Say no gracias firmly but politely to the guys on the beach and the shops and you will be fine.

“ Fantastic hoilday and i would recommend the hotel to anyone.

“ Top Tip: Sit back relax and enjoy.