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All-inclusive stay at beachfront 4* resort in Dominican Republic for $49/person/night

  • Last Updated:
  • Apr 12th, 2021 7:00 pm
Jr. Member
Mar 6, 2010
109 posts
93 upvotes
Barrie
I went to the grand 3 years ago. We got upgraded room and it was nicest I've ever seen. Grounds were all still dirt only as landscapes wasn't done yet. Beach was terrible. Food was great but resort is so big you have to rely on shuttle.
Deal Fanatic
Jun 11, 2016
5291 posts
6491 upvotes
jrshopper wrote: I think this is where a seasoned travel agent really helps. Mine is gold (she's in the GTA) and has been in the business for 30 years. I just have to give her an outline of what we want and she makes fantastic suggestions.
Price wise how's your agent compared to travel websites? Going through an agent sounds appealing but that at 2x the price.

Cheers, KH
Sr. Member
May 17, 2011
906 posts
921 upvotes
Toronto
KravenHead wrote: Price wise how's your agent compared to travel websites? Going through an agent sounds appealing but that at 2x the price.

Cheers, KH
Agents may be minimally more but many times they are the same. You can always compare to an online site. Although I would hope that if you make an agent spend time that people would book through them. When we booked our last Disney trip with her it was identical price to booking with Disney direct. We booked a cruise with her and friends booked with red deals (something like that) and prices were pretty much the same across all categories. She might have been $50 more at the end of the day but she called the cruise for me, and for our friends who didn't book with her, to get our dining together. The travel site refused to do it although that might have just been that particular call centre person.
My husband's work uses an agent and he finds the flights on expedia and gives the agent the details, the prices are the same.

And having an actual person to help if things go tits up on a trip is priceless.
Deal Fanatic
Jun 11, 2016
5291 posts
6491 upvotes
jrshopper wrote: . When we booked our last Disney trip with her it was identical price to booking with Disney direct. We booked a cruise with her and friends booked with red deals (something
Reason I asked is Disney is on the horizon for us. I suspect going to an agent for Disney would be wise as they would know all the ins and outs and be able to provide advice.
I did a quick Expedia lookup and the total came close to being on par w/ a small Kia
Sr. Member
User avatar
Nov 1, 2009
679 posts
441 upvotes
Terrebonne
heymanwuzup wrote: i thought the rule of thumb when travelling to central/south america is always book 5 stars? I have only done one all-inclusive to DR for a wedding, and stayed at a 4-star. Friends thought I was crazy
All depends where you look at. Most hotels 4* and up are rated 5* by the local hotel. If you look at your operator you should see a rating that is more realistic, but you need to understand that we all have different tastes and needs, but I personally chose the number of stars depending of the destination:
4* and up for Dominican Republic
4½* and up for Cuba
4* and up for Mexico
To me the most important is the food, my wife is the beach. I never tried a 4* hotel in Mexico and Dominican Republic yet, but from the 4½* and 5* I have been to, if the hotel is well rated, I would give it a chance for sure.
I have friends that prefer going more often and go to 3* and 3½* in Cuba, however they only care about the beach and drinking alcohol. I went to 4* hotel in Cuba before and I would not return and would pay premium to get a 4½*.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Aug 27, 2014
8474 posts
4467 upvotes
Canuckland
jay81k wrote: Don’t forget the 2000$ stay at the quarantine hotel when you get back Face With Stuck-out Tongue And Winking Eye
AFAIK if you book after you get the 2 vaccines you should be relatively safe. 2 weeks is only if you test positive
Jr. Member
Oct 27, 2020
126 posts
162 upvotes
oldmanlogan wrote: Telling people spring beds and bad AC gives a place 3 stars is misleading. Ask to change rooms next time.

My last trip to Turks had shitty TV connection. 2 Stars! :)
My bad, terrible beds, ac that doesn't work, food that leaves a lot be desired even if you know how to game the buffet system and not a single brand name bottle of liquor to be found other than chivas regal and its an extra charge. 5 stars all the way!

I'm painting a realistic picture of resorts in cuba, they cannot compare to dominican, Jamaica or mexico and thats why Cuba is more affordable. This was my experience at multiple 5 stars in the cayo regions.

Oh and if its 5 stars i dont think I should have to spend my entire first day of vacation swtiching rooms to find one that has working AC.

That being said Cuba is great and i highly recommend it but people should not be expecting a 5 star carribean experince if they have had a 5 star vacation in other carribean countries.
Newbie
Oct 13, 2020
79 posts
44 upvotes
Cayo's in Cuba are fantastic, Playa Pilar beach is amazing
pygmalion2020 wrote: My bad, terrible beds, ac that doesn't work, food that leaves a lot be desired even if you know how to game the buffet system and not a single brand name bottle of liquor to be found other than chivas regal and its an extra charge. 5 stars all the way!

I'm painting a realistic picture of resorts in cuba, they cannot compare to dominican, Jamaica or mexico and thats why Cuba is more affordable. This was my experience at multiple 5 stars in the cayo regions.

Oh and if its 5 stars i dont think I should have to spend my entire first day of vacation swtiching rooms to find one that has working AC.

That being said Cuba is great and i highly recommend it but people should not be expecting a 5 star carribean experince if they have had a 5 star vacation in other carribean countries.
Deal Addict
Jun 29, 2016
1540 posts
961 upvotes
pygmalion2020 wrote: The rule of thumb is subtract a star for all inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and subtract 2 for Cuba. For example a 5 star in the Caribbean is more like a 4 star anywhere else and a 5 star in cuba is like 3 star elsewhere.
So not true.
It depends a lot on the resort itself, not all 5 stars are alike. For example Grand Velas in Mexico or Majestic Elegance (if I remember the name correctly) in Punta Cana are a whole new level of 5 star.
Paradisus Rio del Oro in Cuba comes to mind as well.
I really miss traveling...
Sr. Member
Nov 30, 2015
821 posts
1163 upvotes
The tripadvisor stars mean more to me than the hotel star ratings. I used to go to a place in Cuba that was a little dated, but the staff was very good, food excellent and a great quiet beach. Official star rating? 2 star! I wouldn't randomly book hoping for a similar experience though. But you can have 3-4 stars resorts that can give a "5 star" a run for it's money, and much cheaper.
Deal Addict
Jan 18, 2012
1067 posts
406 upvotes
Toronto
JustMike wrote: Does it really? Where else would you go on vacation for $50 per person per day including accommodations and all meals?

I am not defending the deal in any way, but something tells me you're not terribly familiar with the cost of travel and/or all-inclusives.
I'm very familiar with travelling, if this is for a solo traveller, then it's an excellent deal for $50 a night, There can be better deals had for more people with flights added.
Deal Addict
Sep 14, 2012
1962 posts
2909 upvotes
Toronto
KravenHead wrote: Its all relative to the poster's means. If he can afford a 5* then why would he settle for a 3*?
You get what you pay for..
Some people are OK w/ bland food as long as there is plenty of alcohol and beach space...others also want to eat well.
I can afford any 5 star hotel in the world, but that does not mean I always do. Sometimes the premium for it is not worth it. I really don't care about some of the so called features at all inclusives such as butler service, mini pool outside my room, etc.
Last edited by ichibansan on Apr 12th, 2021 3:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Sr. Member
May 17, 2011
906 posts
921 upvotes
Toronto
KravenHead wrote: Reason I asked is Disney is on the horizon for us. I suspect going to an agent for Disney would be wise as they would know all the ins and outs and be able to provide advice.
I did a quick Expedia lookup and the total came close to being on par w/ a small Kia
I learned a ton of the ins and outs and where to stay from disboards (just google that). It's a rabbit hole though, easy to spend hours there.
We stayed at a moderate the first time and values after that. Got free dining twice and flew from Buffalo. There are ways to do Disney cheaper and still stay on property. We liked the early magic hours since our kids are early risers so staying on property was worth it.
We were in the parks all day, broke in the middle for a nap if needed, and stayed until closing. The rare times there was a line up for buses we just took a cab back to the property instead of waiting in lines with tired and cranky kids.
Jr. Member
Oct 27, 2020
126 posts
162 upvotes
govas19 wrote: So not true.
It depends a lot on the resort itself, not all 5 stars are alike. For example Grand Velas in Mexico or Majestic Elegance (if I remember the name correctly) in Punta Cana are a whole new level of 5 star.
Paradisus Rio del Oro in Cuba comes to mind as well.
I really miss traveling...

rule of thumb
phrase of rule

a broadly accurate guide or principle, based on experience or practice rather than theory.
"a useful rule of thumb is that about ten hours will be needed to analyze each hour of recorded data"

Yes there are certain resorts that I'm sure defy this and are an exception to the rule but in general I stand by my original statement.
Deal Addict
Jun 29, 2016
1540 posts
961 upvotes
pygmalion2020 wrote: Yes there are certain resorts that I'm sure defy this and are an exception to the rule but in general I stand by my original statement.
I too stand by my statement, in that it depends a lot on the individual resort and even within a resort there are differences (villa vs junior room for example. Another example you may have 2 5* sub-resorts within a larger resort with big differences between them).
Also it depends a lot on the expectations.
Believe you me I have a long list of complaints with accommodations in NA or Europe, some of which are down rights ridiculous.
Point being one has to research the resort beforehand, or any hotel for that matter, and go in with the right expectations. And yes, some do suck even after researching it.
Jr. Member
Dec 18, 2009
103 posts
49 upvotes
Ottawa
superbundance wrote: 50 bucks a day?

That is cheaper than rent over here.
Sure is. Factor in your food and drink is taken care of....if you work remotely you're actually saving money on this. LOL

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