need advise Dominican Rep. or Riviera Maya asap

[imdeskman]

I've stayed in Cozamel the last two years.  We booked The Quetzal this year.  That's a bust for the 12 of Nov.  Has anyone been to the Dominican Rep. that can tell me the differences.  Is it less laid back?  People as friendly?  What's the main difference?  Please help.  Thanks

[raider]

sorry i havent been to DR, but hear it is beautiful and the beaches are amazing. with  i could tell you more! good luck!

[George]

Here's a good thread:

http://www.iberostar-board.com/boards/index.php?topic=580.0

Hope this helps,

George

[CoralReef]

Our experience was that the DR was more laid back, the people even more friendly, the beaches even more beautiful, and you get even more for your money than the Riviera Maya! We also liked the lush tropical feel of the island and the mountain views.

The cons were: roads less developed (takes longer to get anywhere), water not drinkable (I drink the water in Mexican resort areas, but not in the DR), fewer people speak English, less to do off-resort. It's just a less developed area in general, but it has a unique tropical flavor and the people are great.

[blacker]

We stayed at the IB Punta Cana/Dominica Jan 04, & the IB Toucan twice before that.

For us, it was a no-brainer to book on the Mayan Riv this year.

While the beach in Punta Cana is arguably the best in the Carribbean, and the hotel complex is what you would expect of Iberostar, the remaining aspects of the comparison fail.

Most of the staff, (i.e. NOT mgmt) spoke little or no English - the bartenders included.  They do not know how to make a decent smoothie type of drink - i.e. Margaritas, Pina Coladas, etc. at any of the bars either beach or poolside.   Speaking of which, there were only 2 places to get a drink poolside or from the beach - 1 on the Dominica side, & 1 on the PC side.

The food was disappointing - seems that they put oil on EVERYTHING !   One morning I watched in horror as the cook put a nice slab of bacon on the grill & proceeded to pour oil over it !! 

I have what has been called a 'cast-iron' stomach, but it took me four days to have my tummy settle down.  Thank God for the Star Rock Cafe that we found tucked away in the far corner of the 5 star portion of the resort.  At least there you can get a reasonable burger & fries !

Excursions and/or day-trips off the resort are few & far between, nothing like what is offered in Mexico.

The casino onsite is small by anyone's standard, & the airconditioning there is strained at best to keep it warm - forget cool.

We did meet some very nice guests the second week from Chicago that do make this resort their annual destination, so not everyone shared my opinion of the place.  Their company is the only reason that I think I would return to this resort.

That being said, and again it is only my humble opinion, we are anxiously waiting for Jan to arrive & for us to explore the Pariso Beach in Mexico this winter !