Well let's just start off by saying, this was a very last minute, unexpected deal we took with First Choice.

The First Choice rep team we met were completely clueless, How? well let's start at the airport.

After the tiring but plausible 9hr flight from Birmingham we arrived at Puerto Plata airport and after being bombarded and stuck with the Glaswegians who could have done with some alcohol or something to take the frowns off their faces our suitcases finally made an appearance, after handing in a quick immigration slip we headed for the doors, as I was with a family of four (me, partner, and two kids aged 13 and 8) a hand with the luggage was much obliged but when we got to what looked like lovely helpers we were simply ignored as two of the men ran to the back of us to help a young couple with only two suitcases.
Shrugging that off, we walked out to find the bus that would take us to the resort.
We were greeted by a very smiley Elly who made us feel much more welcome and for a young woman she was very skilled and the kids loved her.

When we arrived at the resort we were stunned to find Spanish dancers handing out refreshing fruit drinks, as we settled in and waited to be taken to our hotel we were greeted with the entertainment team Matthew(Gay and needy) Nathan(Wheee! Also gay but not as much of a show off) Adrianna(never smiles, well apart from when the Dollars are in sight) Betty(Petit and pretty) Jonathan(Very skilled) Adele(Skipping school) Siobhan(Big headed and blonde) and last but not least Tito(Needs to get in the pool and stay there!)
All singing Choco Choco Chocolate but most of them (Adrianna) could not be bothered!


To quicken this up.
The food wasn't bad but usually the deserts were warm and the food was cold, rolls were soggy (stick to the soup) Pancakes for breakfast very good, enjoyed the buttery french toast too.
didn't bother with the a la carte's as we usually headed down to the plaza as the food was delicious and fresh.

Entertainment needs help, Matty would NOT take no for an answer and just kept bothering you until you danced or played games.


Comments? All the staff wore "tell me if i'm not smiling" badges but frankly we had booked an activity for that day already

Glad to be home basically.

Well firstly I would like to say that we booked this holiday last minute and we were really worried about previous reviews we read before going but we worried needlessly as the holiday was fantastic. We were pleasently supprised at the flight there and were welcomed by the lovely ellie (First choice rep) she directed us to our bus (didn't see any moaning gleswegians and think the comment before was totally racist and uncalled for) and away we went 20 minutes to the hotel and a welcome drink was waiting for us.

We were then taken to our room which for a standard room was fantastic, it was spotless and was cleaned every day by the maids who were very friendly and made us swans out of towels etc. room was spacious and everything you would need from Iron and Iron board, hairdryer to cool beer and juices in the mini fridge. the airconditioning was great and well needed as going out of the front door was like going into an oven.

The food in the buffet resteraunt was fantastic with so much choice, they changed the theme every night and there was a chef on duty to cook omlettes for the fussy eaters. We went to three of the themed resteraunts which were all ok but personally preferred the bufett. There were new mesh nets put up to stop birds coming in and we never witnessed any insects in the any of the eateries.

The entertainment was ok and even though our daughter is fifteen and not into kids clubs we still joined in with the party games and the Holiday express each night. The entertainment crew worked very hard and we loved Mathew who was like julian Clary on speed, the dominican crew were fantastic entertainers with Johnethan, Betty and papa our favs and of course how could we not mention Tito ("o my mother") he keeped us in fits of laughter and well entertained by the pool every day.

I loved my holiday here! When we arrived we upgraded to VIP so we got access to adult pool, swim up bar, room extras, internet etc.

The staff were all friendly and helpful. Room cleaned every day and the maids were lovely and friendly. Although the 'choco-latte choco choco' song was a bit irritating it put me in the holiday mood and found myself singing along to it.

The food was nice and all the restaurants were very good (I liked the Japanese a la carte the best) drinks were good and room fridge re-filled daily for free.

The weather was great and very very hot. People also need to remember that it's a very hot country and sickness and diarrhoea are often caused by dehydration and not always lack of hygiene in the resort.

very dissapointed with the hotel not abit like the brochure says.reception staff need a course in manners.food to be honest not very good.entertainment staff a1 especially ronan and belinda you are stars.
food not that good same old same old,my 9year old daughter very ill with a bug that was going around when informed the reps they said yes gastroenteritis going about lots of people very ill with it.first choice you need to get this sorted very very quickly or you will have another law suit against you like the 1 last year for the same thing.if you have booked for this place i would advise to get it changed quickly its a dump and thats being civilised.i certainly would not reccomend this hotel not even for pets.

We stayed in the golden beach holiday village, dec 08, and all i can say is if you like butlins this is perfect for you. The hotel itself was ok,the rooms were ok, but our pullout bed was the most uncomfortable bed weve ever 'not' slept on, and others complained about this too, and i can say this because weve been to the domincan on other holidays. Most of the staff were lovely.
. The beach was lovely and a much needed break from the loud topless bathers at the activity pool. Even in the wavepool oversized topless women would land.
We had the pleasure of extremely loud and annoying neighbours,upto 5am in the morning they would loudly come in, once the casino and disco had ended (which you could clearly hear the noise all night).Along with dripping water nosie that permantely ran down the side of our room.
Yes we informed the rep,and she did have words with our neighbours unfortuntaly we ended up getting a mouthful of abuse.
Entertainment, was butlins alover,cringe time.
Kids club was very good. Lots os staff to entertain the kids. This is not somewhere i would recommend.
The food is what you would expect in an inclusive hotel, ok at times.

I stayed at this hoel for 7 nights and it was great! the entertainment was the best and made our holiday. The food only gets a 3 but because it says its 24 hours and sometimes the mexican etc was shut in the day but this was our only compaint! the rooms are lovely and the adult pool is the best and whats good about the holiday village that if you want a lively day you can go by the activity pool where loads go on and if you fancy chilling then youve got the option of the adult pool. There really is something for everyone and yes they have loads to do for the kids as a couple with no kids i would definely go back. The staff can not do enough for you and I would really reccomend this hotel to anyone just be aware that its the carribbean so dont expect it to be like home.

We travelled out to this resort on the 29th of september, and i must say after reading all of the reviews we were very worried. I looked at all the pictures and was happy with what i saw, yet people were saying the complete oposite. All i can say is if you have booked there please dont worry. We was booked in a family room which had a kids den for my daughter which she loved. The beds are huge and so was our bathroom, we had plenty space for all of us. However my parents were in the room next door which was the same layout except a smaller version. The only thing i can say is that all the rooms are different sizes. There is no way you can find out if you will be getting a small or large one. I did speak to a few people who had this issue and were immediatly transferred to a better room. If you bring it up with them straight away your better off. The hotel staff were brilliant, there were constantly smiling and talking to my daughter. It has to be one of the most child friendly hotels i have ever been to. There are quite a few options as regards food for me they were all good i have no complaints. In the self service there are plenty mosquitos under the tables though as it is nice and dark under those tables for them. The beach is stunning and really nice to eat in the restaurant there, nice and relaxing. I do agree the the waves can be very rough though, they managed to completly knock two adults from my party under the water. The entertainment is really good for kids, i think they concentrate on thier entertainment more than they do adults. They put such an effort in but it is slightly rubbish. If you have good company though it can be a good laugh. The only complaints that i have about this holiday is the music is very loud by the main pool so loud you cant talk. But there are other pools to escape to. Plenty excursions to keep you busy, i did both the horse riding and the safari and they were well worth the money. And also we booked a taxi to take us to isabella mountain. Very safe and worth it. It cost us $35 there and back in the taxi and $10 each to go up in the cable cars. If your going there have fun im very jealous!!

having read a few reviews before going, i was worried and didn`t know what to expect. However there was no need for me to worry, this hotel is brilliant. We booked the royal suites and it was great. The room was very clean, and we wee given lots of freebies, from sewing kits to nail files. Also there was a fridge which was re stocked daily at no extra charge. The room was a bit on the dark side but that wasn`t a problem. We had a hammock on our terrace which was a nice touch. Cleaner came in every day and again at around 7pm to give us more clean towels. VIP royal suite area is great, you get free internet access, also you could have breakfast there instead of the buffet. Swimming pool was brillant which was for VIP guests only, with a swim up bar, Ino the barman was great always knew what you wanted to drink and would have another ready for you before you finished. Also as VIP guests you have a private section on the beach, which has towels on the sunbeds ready for you. In the afternoon the staff come round with cold towels & fresh fruit which is a really nice touch. The food was really good, try the mexican it was the best. Buffet restaurant was good plenty of choice. Entertainment staff work really hard by the activity pool during the day and then again at night putting shows on for all the guest. Overall this is a brilliant hotel, and i intend to go back because i enjoyed it so much

we stayed in the holiday village in dominican republic for 2 weeks and did our best to enjoy ourselves at a resort that was basic and reminded us of butlins.
maid was good if you tiped them and basic service if you didnt.
restraunts on site were good but allowed only 1 visit to each.

food at the buffet area was ok but nothing great-if it was mexican themed the night before the lunch buffet has the remains of the food the night before.

complex was basic and wasnt well received.

Brilliant holiday. dreading the flight with the children but it was fine ,films and games kept them occupied all the way.great transfer and easy check in.

hotel was a lovely size ,food was lovely .there was 4 a la carte restaurants which we had no trouble booking and were a really nice change from the buffet.

Entertainment was typical first choice ,same most nights but good entertainment during the day and in 2 action reps were great with the children.

fantastic beach with kayaks you could hire free of charge and also snorkels but to see any fish you need to turn right at the beach and walk ten minutes .beach bar lovely for snacks and drinks in the day.

we did 3 trips, first was paradise island we were out of the hotel for 12 hours and you only get 1and half hours on the island which they dont tell you when you book it,but it is a pretty sandbank in the middle of the sea and the kids could feed the fish bananas by hand so worth it for that,but if you get at all travelsick give it a miss.

Oceanworld fantastic day out we all swam with dolphins and sharks and shows are great, we also did the jeep safari which was a great day out and chance to see the real dominican.

take pens pencils and sweets for the local children as they have to pay for all their own school supplies and if they cant afford any they dont have any.

my husband and 13 year old did 4 days of scuba diving and said it was fabulous. there is a small shopping plaza 10 mins walk from the hotel, it has a pizza hut,shops and cashpoint machine,good for souvenirs. if youve booked youll have a great time. only negative was the room,very dark and seemed old but youre not in it much so wasnt a problem