The Good, Bad + Ugly: Vista Sol Resort Punta Cana, DR

For those that read my blog regularly, I wanted to apologize for the lack of post these past few weeks. Between this last class and prepping for our first out of country family vacation there was very little time for blogging. Speaking of vacations though I wanted to share a review for the resort we stayed at, Vista Sol in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. 

My husband and I had five years we didn't leave the country, that was the last time we went to Punta Cana. Naturally, when we finally were able to travel to the Dominican Republic again it was a must do. Like I have done in the past I booked via Expedia.com, narrowing it down by price per night and then star rating. We decided on Vista Sol at $122 a night with four stars. Sounds good right? Except for a few things here and there it really was a nice experience during our 3 night, 4 day stay.

​Room Amenities

Good: All rooms offer balconies, refrigerators, and TVs. Includes free bottled water, coffee and hair dryers. Rooms are clean, well maintained and are styled/decorated nicely.
Bad: Irons require a $20 deposit, not all of our rooms had shampoo, two of our rooms had trouble with the air conditioning and shower, however they quickly resolved the issue.
Ugly: The beds were the worst! Hard and uncomfortable. The bedding was far from luxurious and was a cross between a sheet and quilt. I was extremely disappointed with the beds and bedding.

Food

Good: All buffet and à la carte meals, snacks, and local beverages included. Open bar was great. Many options for vegetarians and those who are health conscious. 
Bad: Small selection and variety. It took a while to replace dishes that had run out. 
Ugly: Same foods every day and same desserts., None of the desserts had name tags and they all tasted store bought. No typical desserts native to the country. 

Activities/Entertainment/Excursions

Good: Fitness facilities, games, volleyball and things like Aerobics, Dancing and Pilates are offered.
Bad:  No announcement or daily schedule of what activities of the day will be are offered. Staff is rude and cracks jokes of guest in Spanish.
Ugly: Excursions through the hotel are over priced and if you book outside the hotel you run the risk of being cheated like we were. We paid $100 for a family 4 pack of zip lining, horseback on the back and dune buggies. When we got to the place it ended up being 25 minutes away not 10, had no ziplining, horseback only around the park lot not on the beach and were basically forced into buying handkerchiefs at $5 a piece and sunglass at $10 each.  

Overall 

Good: 

• 3 pools

• 8 Bars

• Beach access
• Satellite channels 
• 24/hr reception desk
• Circus night is exceptional
• Lots of birds, ducks and peacocks

Bad: 

• Too many beach vendors
• Free wi-fi was super slow
• Staff isn't too friendly, they barely smile and aren't too accommodating.
• No bell hop
• Pool closes too early, 7pm.
• First aid closes too early.
• Showers don't have doors or curtains.

Ugly: 

• Beach had too much seaweed and was not cleaned daily
• Wi-Fi is $10 a day
• Expedia rep said an extra guest would be $40 and the resort charged $49 per night.
• Vacation timeshare reps hound you all day 
• Spa workers try to sell you massages all day.
• Smoking is allowed everywhere
• Lots of birds, ducks and peacocks poop everywhere even dinning room. Crows steal food off of your plate.