As for the Gran Ventana I have been to this hotel 12 times (not through choice) and it is the worst hotel I have ever stopped at, loud music playing 24/7 the quiet pool is not quiet because all the parents that want a quiet experience bring their unruley children to it too. of the 12 times I have always come back with either mild or severe food poisening requiring dr's appointments on 2 occasions.

Really cant believe this. Every review I have read about this hotel has been positive. Never heard the loud music playing 24/7 infact everything stopped at midnight and if anything the hotel was too quiet. Got the odd bit of music during the day, but this came from the entertainment stage and was usually Carribean music which added the atmosphere around the pool. As for the quiet pool and kids, you can get unruley children in ANY hotel ANYWHERE in the world, cant help that. And with regards the food, not saying you didnt have food poisioning, but never heard of food poisoning problems in this hotel. Infact, i'm probably one of the fussiest eaters you will meet when eating abroad but the food quality and standards here were excellent.

I could go on, but it is an expensive hotel but doesn't live up to its price. I am glad I do not have to stay at this hotel any longer. Try the sister hotel, a lot more dignified affair

Most hotels in the Carribean are expensive, this was a reasonably priced one I thought when I went. The sister hotel I assume you mean the Iberstar is nice yes, but also much more expensive again I believe. Both share the same beach, and if anything, when I had a look around the Iberstar, it had louder music playing through the day!

Victoria Golf and beach resort... or the Riu (bit further afield)

I believe the Riu hotels were the ones that had the bad food poisioning outbreak a few years back, and continue to have sporadic outbreaks of food poisioning.

Everyone is different but I have stayed in 1star to 7 star hotels (yes the Burj Al Arab in Dubai) so have experienced all service levels and would not knock a 1 star hotel just because I have stayed in better for the sake of it. But I cannot beg anyone enough to stay in this hotel. I would not allow my dog to be kennelled here.

With all due respect perhaps the Burj Al Arab totally spoilt you, and saying the Gran Ventana is expensive, after you have stayed in a hotel where breakfast costs over £100, thats quite laughable. Obviously something happened during one of your 12 stays in the Gran Ventana to upset you, because all other reviews on various sites are faveourable. As for saying your dog would not be kennelled there, well thats quite insulting to the staff who work very hard there. Our maid for example because we had tipped her, on our last day, left a note of thanks with a handmade bracelet and necklace in it. The staff everywhere were excellent and very friendly and helpful. No doubt your dog would only be sent to 7 star kennels where they serve champagne and caviar after your dog has spent a day in a dog spa with dog massage.

Seriously, respecting other peoples opinions is fair enough - but be realistic and honest. Anyone considering staying here, please totally disregard this persons comments about the hotel, and if you are still unsure, read the reviews on this site and others to see just how nice a hotel this is.

Are the above quotes from Holiday Truths or another website?

If not from HT then I'm afraid you'll have to edit them from your post due to copyright law.
Feel free to post a link if it's to a website we allow links to.

If they're from here then no problem.

Pippy

HI Pippy, They are from this website, go back a page and you'll find the post made by BY-TOM-AMM-FCA. I couldnt figure out how to quote the persons name with the post

No problem, thanks for clarifying I read lots of posts on HT over the weeks so the chances of me remembering anything over a month old are slim!

Pippy

letter arrived from first choice to advise that work will commence in the catalina block from 05/05/08 for approx 2 months. In addition the hotelier has plans to refurb the beach club and this work will take approx 3 weeks during this time the cayalina block will be closed to the public with no access .
the beach club will be relocatedand the regular buffet will be reinforced with additional choices of snacks.
As long as the work is completed within the time constraints stated we wont have a problem.
but the work has to be done afterall. How do you redecorate your house /bathroom or kitchen in your own house

we found out about this renovation work the other week thru some friends who are travelling in May we were going in June. Thomas cook admitted to us that refurb work was going to be ongoing till 31st July and could not guarrantee that we would not be disturbed, they also stated the catalina block was closed for refur and the beach club and that guests could still use the quiet pool and have use of the sister hotels facilities... Now that may imply is that the main pool maybe affected. So we demanded to be moved to the Iberostar at no extra cost which thomas cook grudgingly obliged. Thomas cook have only informed May departs of this work.. i guess come mid may they will inform the June departs and so forth.. i feel its absoulutely shocking that a tour operator knows of possible disruption but does not communicate it too all customers who will be affected

hi

has anyone returned from gran ventana recently who can tell me how bad all the building work is and does it really effect your holiday?? We have booked through Thomson and only know about thi through this site.

Also what times do the all inclusive start and finish, and what is included.

many thanks in advance

Recent reviews HERE

Pippy

I sent an email to the hotel two weeks ago requesting a room on the ground floor of a specific block. I received a reply yesterday saying that my request will be fulfilled & i'll also have a pool view.

If you have a preference, i'd recommend sending a quick note. You may not get a reply but you'll find they will try to accommodate you.

Our tickets arrived this morning. Three weeks to go. Can't wait.

4.7.08 We have just returned from the Gran Ventana in the Dominican Republic. It is a lovely hotel, the rooms are clean and spacious and the staff are fantastic. Unfortuntely several of our party got food poisoning and were quite ill. I spoke to other guests who were also ill, in fact their shop ran out of Imodium! Birds fly in and out of the dining area and feed from the food which the guests eat. We stayed in "B" block overlooking the quiet pool which was pretty quiet but there is a nightclub just across the way which has loud music every night until 3am. I wouldn't go to this island again. On the plus side our rep, Dave from Thomson Holidays was absolutely great.

Welcome to the forum!

If you'd like to post a full review, please do so HERE

Pippy

Hiya,
I know Im posting late but I have just returned from said hotel a week early because of he appalling state of our room (open live wires, mould, damp spots, holes in the balcony doors etc etc), the stream of sewage that ran past our room, the severe food poisoning that my fiance came down with due to thefood and one of the staff members trying to steal my expensive phone. Its a beautiful hotel from the outside and certainly looks like paradise.....it isnt. Its the worse holiday Ive ever had and i will never be going back to the Dominican Republic.
(On a good note...if you dont mind food poisoning and almost electrocuting yourself in the rooms...the staff, well a majority of them are very smiley, professional and efficient. Plus the maids are very trustworthy).

xx

I'm actually really surprised at what the last poster has said, unclean etc., I was there a couple of years ago, I know things can change really quickly, however I found this hotel to be the best I had stayed at. The Rooms spotless and cleaned daily, the food in the main buffet restaurant was wonderful, suited all tastes and the other 'bookable' restaurants were good too. I found the staff to be always smiley and cheerful.

I loved it, but as I say it was a couple of years ago, so what a shame if it has gone down hill.

hi miss pink,
Yep we were suprised too as we had read such good reports and the few bad ones were picky little things like the towels being too hard etc etc. I really wish I could say we has stupid issues like that. LOL.
We'd been looking forward to this for 7 months as it was an engagement present and our birthdays were whilst we were out there. However it was so bad it ended with us coming back a week early at a huge cost.
I'm so dissapointed as we were both so excited but I suppose you live and learn.
As I said most of the staff were exceptionally smiley and very happy to talk and say hola, especially if you spoke to them in Spanish.
I'm just sorry I couldn't have written a more positive posting for it x

I'd be grateful if anyone recently returned would post their review HERE please as we've had none for over a year

Hi Roobee

I am sorry that you had an awful time, especially as it was a pressie for your and your fiance, I hope that you write and complain and hope you get some compensation for the poor standards. We all tend to save for our holidays, sometimes one per year and expect to get a good standard etc, let us know if you do write and the outcome.

I hope your next trip is tons better

have now writtenmy review for the hotel sections, i don't think its been added yet but should be shortly but in short we had a brilliant time

Cheekyfairy : you were there the same two weeks as us and have just read your excellent review. It was spot on. We did eat in the Italian restaurant one night which was good for a change but we all preferred the main buffet restaurant. Two of us had stomach problems but this didn't hinder the holiday at all. Like you, we said we would return but to the South to see the difference between the Atlantic and the Caribbean seas.

Hi Mitchy hows the jetlag lol?

we couldn't/didn't sleep on the flight back so we are still shattered finding it hard to get to sleep on an evening but then not waking till 9.30ish ...thankfully not back at work so its not too mcuh of an issue!