D.R. is a beautiful Island. I will return but not to the same hotel. My girlfriends and I decided to go to Dominican Republic for Memorial Day weekend. We book the trip through Liberty Travel. We were told that we would be staying at a 4 star hotel(Occidental Grand Flamenco Punta Cana). When we got there the hotel staff was rude and nasty. They didn't even help us with our bags. The people at the front desk were not helpful or pleasant. Our room was not ready so they down graded us to a smelly room with small beds. The room was horrible. I paid so much money to stay at this hotel. There was no hot water. The lights in the whole resort kept going out the entire weekend. When ever we called the front desk for assistance, they would hang up on us or keep us on hold forever. We had to call our travel agent back in New York to try and see if she can get us some help. Finally 3 days into our trip we were able to change rooms. The new room was nicer but the hot water and lights still kept going out. The beach was the most beautiful I have ever seen. The pools at the resort were okay. The food was horrible. Not what I expected. The breakfast buffet was the best. I have been to other places and this has been the worst. We made the best of it but will never return.

We arrived in Punta Cana on June 19th but my daughters suitcase didn't arrived until 4 days later. NEVER FLY AMERICAN AIRLINES THROUGH MIAMI!!!
The Occidental is beautiful. I was very nervous about the resort after reading all the negative reviews but our stay was fine. The power must have gone out for a couple of hours but it was during the day and we were on the beach so it didn't affect us. Our AC worked fine and we had hot water the whole time and the water pressure was fine. I'm not saying that the others were lying but our stay was no problem.
The food could have been better. The breakfasts were the best. I ate fruit during all meals. We ate at the Mexican and Italian restaurants and they were just average. Las Reyes, the meat house is like one of those Brazilian steakhouses where they bring you meat on a skewer. I ate there as my daughter is vegetarian so she and my wife went to the pizzeria. At Las Reyes they brought out sausage, chicken, pork and beef along with potatoes, and vegetables. It was way too much to eat so if you go there don't eat lunch. We didn't try the oriental restaurant so we don't know anything about that. The buffet is average.
The beach is awesome!!! No problem finding chairs. The activities are very regimented where you have archery at 11:00 am, volleyball at 3:00, tennis at 4:00 etc. I wish we could play whenever we wanted. The nightly shows were average except for the Michael Jackson impersonator. That was awesome!! He and his 8-10 dancers put on a show for an hour with excellent choreography and music.
We went on the Outback Safari and Jose was our guide. He was very funny and taught us a lot about the island. It was great. We got to tour a typical country house, meet the family, see how chocolate and coffee is made and visited a cigar "factory". We had a beach break where we could ride the waves. That was a nice break. We didn't get to visit a school since I booked our tour on Saturday, but I was able to give the school supplies that I brought to the family of the house we toured. The thing I liked about the Outback Safari company is that they give back to the community. They "adopt" five families at a time and help them with improvements on their houses in exchange for allowing strangers to visit their houses.
We also went on a horseback riding excursion through Pandora Stables. This was a lot of fun because the horses really like to gallop. We chose to only to the hour ride and that was plenty as we were sore the next day. If you choose this excursion you will be allowed to canter and gallop on the beach. They also have a person who rides ahead on a motorcycle and takes pictures. They came out really nice.
We also went to Club Mangu, the famous nightclub right next to the Occidental. It opens at 11:00 but doesn't crank up until 12:30 or 1:00 am. We didn't stay very long but if I were in my 20's I could see a really fun time there.
The shopping is great if you like cigars, liquor, souvenirs, t-shirts, etc. But you have to deal with the storekeepers who are hounding you to come into their store. They really are pushy.
I did tip our maid about 4 dollars per day, and never wanted for anything.
Overall we enjoyed Punta Cana and the Occidental but we only wish all of our luggage got there at the same time.
If this happens to you and you booked through an agency like apple, or resortvacationstogo.com you can take the VIP shuttle back to the airport. Unfortunately I didn't think of this until after I took a taxi for $60 US. I kept asking the concierge but all they said was you have to take a taxi. I forgot that when we arrived our VIP rep said to come to him if we need anything. He is in the lobby every morning so we could have done that.
One more thing. We chose not to do the Royal Club. It was $10 per day per person and I didn't really see what you get for that.
I hope this helps you.

We went second week of June 2008. Paid $1600 for two people.

Room:

Large spacious, good a/c, ceiling fan, okay bed.

in room safe: 25 US$ week, 75 us$ if you lose key

TV didn't work on any stations.

We had 2 blackouts in one week, but was whole town.

Excursions: Avoid the salesman around beach/resort, better to go with your travel provider.

Swimming/snorkelling with sharks (nurse sharks) and sting rays- highly recommend. 80 US$ pp

Buggy ride along beach- avoid. trail littered with rocks and garbage, bumpy and not scenic as they claim. 50 US$ pp

Food: Main lobby buffet for breakfast/lunch. Breakfast- fried egg station, pancake station, variety of boiled egg,
scrambled egg, potatoes, bacon, sausage, many breads, many juices. Table service for coffee, water.

Dinner: Pork, lamb and fish available. They rarely had chicken or beef. Various rice, pasta, veggies. Table service for
wines, mixed drinks, water.

Lunch: buffet by beach, smaller. Was mostly pizza, pasta, salads, rice, fish. Table service for drinks.

Drinks: wine was quite bad, saw many tables send it back and opt to pay to order bottles. Wine list that was available
was mostly Chilean- 20US$- over 100. At the bars, they were generally generous with the alcohol in drinks- mostly mai tai,
sex on beach, margarita, daqueri, and various rum drinks, one type draft beer. Lobby bar was the favourite.

They also have tacos and pizza available upstairs above lobby buffet. Tacos are okay, pizza quite good.

Resort: Many pools, well maintained, cleaned daily- open 7am-7pm. Beach had calm warm water, never a shortage
of chairs. Vendors were limited to walking along perimeter next to ocean, not allowed to walk on beach and bother you.

Overall, we were very happy with the resort, given the cost.

I went to the Occidental Grand Flamenco on March 30th to April 6th, 2008 with 3 "girl" friends, we are in our 40's (ouch that hurt) & it was a first A.I. for the 3 girls. It was my first time in the D.R.
I read the reviews before I left & I still read them daily. I feel at times that I was not at the same resort as the reviews posted & I can't help but wonder if it was just pure luck that we had the time of our lives.

Arrival: Airport has great "ambiance" which is something I appreciated. You can get colorful pics taken upon entering the country & purchase them upon leaving.

Check in: We arrived at night & the check in went well & fast enough. At that time, we didn't get our "safe" key thinking it came with room. We went the next morning & it cost 25$ U.S. for the week. Not a problem.

A la carte: We went to make reservations to 3 restos the first morning we were there. We booked at the Oriental, Italian & the Steak House. We ALL enjoyed the meals & the service.

Rooms: I was in building 12, room 204. Very pretty room, no smell, no bugs at all. Fridge was stocked daily. (2 beers, 2 pepsi, 2 7-up). The shower pressure was not the best ever but apparently common in D.R. It was not that bad either. You do not need an "adapter" for hairstraightner or blower. I recommend you bring some coffeemate. Bed was very very comfortable.

Beach: Beautiful !!! The sand feels amazing. There were plenty of chairs. We did get a bit of rain during our week & the girls went shopping on that day & they were impressed with the souvenirs they got. They mentionned that stuff for children are great to "barter" with.

Entertainment: I enjoyed the shows very much. I wish I had just half of their energy. We would go to the "lobby bar" after the shows where there was always some sort of entertainement also. Ex: one night was disco night, karaoke or resort band would play. We made the most of those nights & the girls participated lots.......lol....

Mangu: Disco next to the resort where you can get in for free but the drinks are not included (appr. 8$ a drink). It's open till about 6 a.m. & it's a fun place to be. Ambiance is amazing in there. There are 2 floors (upstairs & main) where you can dance the night away. It is filled with "great looking" bartenders & security guards & I wondered why so many as the people in there are all happy & there doesn't seem to be room for "violence".

Tips & Mosquitos: I've been to the carribean a few times & always bring spray galore & I have been lucky so far as I don't ever have to use it. One of the girls was bitten once & that's it.
Regarding tipping, We would leave gifts & $$ for maid (apparently best to write notes saying what you left) , I had prepared a few bags of goodies also & tipped for service as I do in my own country.

Buffet: We all enjoyed the buffet & the service there was pretty good also. The girls tried many different things to eat & one really enjoyed "pumpkin potatoes". At times, a group of men would come in to serenade the people at the buffet. That was fun too. Some hotel guests did not bother to make "à la carte" reservation because they enjoyed the buffet so much.

Check out: We had to leave our room for noon & could put our suitcases in another room near the reception desk. You could also make a reservation to take a shower before leaving for airport. I thought this was a true plus because you don't have to carry all your stuff around till departure time (airport).

Overall: I still would have lots to say but my review would be too long. I met some fun tourists. The workers at this motel (Fun Club) do their job very well & made us all feel quite special. I still hold one of them near & dear to my heart (Barbie/Maribel). She is a true gem for this resort. Most workers spoke english very well.

TIP: Do not leave home without your "Timmy" mug (insulated). It's a must bring on the beach especially.
You should try this drink called "Mamajuana". It's not pretty but it is GOOD!! I crave it ALL the time....lol

Enjoy every minute because the time really flies!