Like many other people, I had read some of the not so great reviews of the Ocean Blue resort on this website and, as a result, I was a small bit anxious about how our holiday there would turn out. However, my fears were completely unfounded.

My boyfriend and I spent a week at this resort - the first week of May - and had a fabulous time. Our transfer shuttle from the airport to the hotel was waiting for us when we landed in Punta Cana after a LONG flight from Ireland (via Paris). The transfer only took about 20mins.

Check-in was quick and very informative. We were offered a trolley ride to our room but chose to walk (the 5 minutes it took) from the reception to our building to get a feel for the resort.

Our room was absolutely gorgeous - it was on the ground floor of Villa 5, facing the two huge swimming pools, and only minutes from the beach. The room was spotless, with plenty of lamps (to make up for the fairly dim main light) and, more importantly, beer in the fridge!

On our first night there, we ate in Route 66 but we were a bit underwhelmed. We had to wait about half an hour or more for a table (admittedly we didn't have a reservation) and service when we did get a table was slow and absent-minded. However, we were much more impressed with the bar in the main building afterwards - great service and very friendly staff.

For the rest of the week, we ate in the main buffet for every meal... and never got bored of it. We always got a table straight away, and there was a huge and varied selection of food each day (breakfast was definitely a favourite of mine though what with bucks fizz, a crepes and pancake corner, and all the fresh tropical fruit you could eat). For the majority of the time, the staff were good and attentive, but at busier times, it was sometimes necessary to go to the bar ourselves to get drinks. - not a big deal.

The whole resort was extremely well maintained. The swimming pools were huge and the staff at the pool bars were friendly and very efficient. The beach was absolutely amazing - picture postcard perfect!

We always had fresh towels in our room. Every day we left a tip and a note (in Spanish) for the housekeeping girls, and most days we were left beer in our fridge. On the days we weren't though, it was easy to stroll over to the pool bar and get whatever we wanted for takeaway!

Some people mentioned that they had problems from the food in the resort. We did have tummy problems one day but I suspect it was more to do with the 5 glasses of champagne in the bar the night before, than anything else. I think its important to point out that ,with all the free food and drink on offer, its very easy to go overboard... (I overheard a guy at the pool one day proudly proclaiming that he had had more than 50 shrimp for lunch!). Eat and drink in excess and you're asking for trouble anyway. We ate and drank plenty, but within reason, and didn't have any problems.

Another thing I'd like to mention is in relation to the staff and tipping etc. We tipped quite often, mostly a dollar or two each time... but didn't tip when we felt the service was lacking. Sometimes you do get the impression that the staff lack incentive.... but maybe if they got a better deal from the visitors they would be more receptive? Sometimes, I was embarrassed to hear how some guests treated the staff - shouting at them and ordering them around. Yes - the people are there to serve you, but they are not your servants!

Anyway, we had a great experience at Ocean Blue and would highly recommend it. I must say though that we visited the resort when it was a bit quieter and that may have helped with the fact that we had no issues with seating in the restaurants, getting sun loungers, getting served at the bar etc. I was very glad we visited when it wasn't the height of their busy season.

My husband and I stayed at the hotel for 10 days. We had a great time. Sorry if this review gets lengthy but I guess I have alot to say.

We also purchased the elite services. That service was worth the money you pay, I read all the reviews before we left, and from my experience people expect everything to be American. The pool was great a few missing tiles but coulf hardly notice. We did have a problem with the shower and pressure, but being handy took a needle and poked the shower head holes and the pressure was great almost too much. Never had a problem getting chairs at the pool or beach which were in the shade.. we usually went to the pool or beach around 10:30-11:00.

Because we had purchased the elite club service we had our own concierge. We called them and they scheduled our dinner reservations (the restyou need to pay for but get one free with elite club) and our massages (also free). We did have a problem with our safe one time and called our concierge and the safe was fixed in 30 minutes. That could happen anywhere.
We did schedule a photo shoot (because it was our anniversary) and they did a wonderful job, They took 100 pictures that turned out. Was hard to narrow them down to a price we were willing to pay. On our Anniversary they came out with a delicous cake and sanh Happy Anniversay. Which was a very nice jesture on there part.

We never came across any of the staff that was not polite and willing to help us out or for that matter give us anything we wanted. Ou room maid was wonderful...our room was cleaned twice a day once in the morning and at night. We did leave them a tip everyday and our frig was stocked with whatever we asked (all you have to do is leave them a note) . She even gave us extra bottles of absolute and rum.

The food was good....there was something for everyone. My favorite was El Bogdon. You had to pay extra for the meal (one dinner included with elite club). Even the prices were very reasonable.

We are scuba divers and the dive crew from the hotel are great. They try very hard to give you what you want and make sure you are happy. The shipwreck Astron was great. There are four chunks of this ship that you can swim through or between ang the fish are plentiful to see. The excursion to Catalina was fantastic. You swim in the Carribean waters an then got to an island for a few hours. They also offer snorkeling on that trip.
If you have any questions please email me.

Stayed at the Ocean Blue from May 6th through the 11th with a friend for a girl's weekend. The grounds were impeccable, the drinks were overflowing, the weather perfect (very hot and humid), and the beach was amazing. The food was average resort/cafeteria level food. I would recommend staying away from the fruits and some meats (ham, beef) as they were often a bit unrecognizable. I would also recommend drinking the local drinks - Mamajuana, dirty monkeys, and pina coladas as the soda used for mixed drinks has a different taste than American soda. Also - do not drink margaritas as you will find they taste nothing like margaritas in the U.S.. Victor specials at the yellow pool were awesome. The drinks at the Tortuga made by Abel are very strong.

The shows offered were fantastic - shortened versions of Chicago and the Copacabana. Took a glass bottom boat ride with Jesus and the red tiki boat through the resort - worth the $50. Took us snorkeling, to a natural pool, to a water slide, and gave us snacks.

When there - visit Ben and Victor at the yellow pool, Abel at the Tortuga bar on the casino side of the resort, go bowling at least once, and wear lots of sunscreen.

The resort is full of couples so it's definitely a great couple spot - but us two single gals made several friends and had a great time.

Beware of the men wearing white at the airport - they only want to take your luggage a short - distance for a big tip. Also - bring $1 bills with you as finding change to tip is nearly impossible and nobody takes credit cards. Some of the rooms are musty and smell of mold - especially on the first floor so bring a nice smelling spray or air freshener. It's a very humid island - so there will be weird smells. BRING BUG SPRAY - lots of mosquito bites. Also - if you plan on golfing at the Ocean Blue - plan to pay $150+ to play a short round of golf. Not the best place for golf.

BIG NOTE: Learn some spanish. Just a bit to get you by. Perhaps phrases asking for towels, for types of drinks, how to change money over to smaller bills, types of food, etc. The people there are far more friendly if you speak a little spanish and will go above and beyond if you ask them a favor in Spanish. Also - do not pay more than half of the asking price of the vendors on the beach. Typically offer 1/4 to 1/3 of what they ask. They will take it eventually. And - plan on being asked several times by vendors at the pools and beaches for services, asking if you want your picture taken, etc. Just say - "no gracias" or "no me moleste" and they go away.

All in all - a great trip and a GORGEOUS hotel.

Ocean Blue was amazing. Stayed at Caribe Club Princess before, and this was def. better. Mimosas and caviar on the breakfast bar!! What more could you ask for. Everyone was so friendly, the beach was beautiful. Plenty of shade areas too. And yes to Amazon (above review), we did feed the mama and puppies on the beach. It was so sad to see the stray dogs.

I would recommend booking with Apple. They've always made sure everything ran smoothly and have reps on site to take care of you.