Allegro Punta Cana is closed and I would appreciate advice!

[ebkr]

Apparently the hotel is closed until December 1, and we are scheduled to be there in late November. We have never been to Punta Cana and are taking two children (8 and 6) with us. The younger child has high functioning autism and we want to ensure his safety and both boy's enjoyment. We are primarily concerned with the quality of the children's care programs, cleanliness and property safety. We have been offered options ranging from the Bahia Principe Punta Cana at the same rate to the Melia Caribe Tropical for $500 more. We have also had an array of options in the middle presented. We do not require the fanciest places, but would like cleanliness, a little extra room and friendly staff. Because of the kids we are not likely to end up in elegant dining options, although we would like to get a sitter one night. We feel like this is an eleventh hour choice to make, so we seek opinions from those who might have visited the area and can look at it from the eyes of a family just looking to relax and have fun together. We are able to spend the extra money if it is worth it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[MrNiceGuy]

Hi EBKR,

I just got back from Punta Cana on Saturday. I did not stay at the resorts but spoke to several who had. Everyone I spoke with had a positive responce and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. My Fiancee works at Barcelo Bavaro Resort and everything is functioning well. Some of the facilities are closed but keep in mind that the resorts are seldom at capacity and really don't require all of the facilities to be open to function satisfactorily and maintain good customer service. The Bahia Principe is a little farther from the airport but is an excellent resort as is the Melia which is closer to the airport and next door to the the Barcelo resort. Check this site and also http://www.debbiesdominicantravel.com/ for review information.

Many of the resorts have child care facilities however I would not expect them to have someone that would be trained to care for a special needs child. Unless you feel very comfortable with the child care that's available at your resort of choice, I would suggest that you anticipate staying with your child.

The resorts are in pretty good shape overall, I myself was in Higuey that had several feet of water running through the streets a couple of weeks ago. I could not tell from what I saw that this had actually happened, the cleanup crews had everything cleaned up and I saw no real difference from just before the hurricane to last week. Yes, several damaged trees, some bridges but nothing to worry about. I actually hitch hiked (with my luggage) from the airport to Higuey (an hour drive) with no problems...

Many people complain about sickness and diarrhea. Everyone blames the water. Frankly, I stayed with my fiancee, rinsed my mouth with the tap water, ate food rinsed in the tap water and had no problems. Just stay away from the food that does not look fresh, you will have better luck in the ala carte restaurants and avoid drinking the sea water. Take your immodium and get your hep A and B shots. That's about the best advice I can give you. Otherwise enjoy your vacation and one of the nicest beaches in the world...

[ebkr]

I appreciate any information at all, so thanks for posting. We never rely on the sitters to provide total care for our son, but it is a huge relief if we can actually sit donw in a chaise nearby, watching, and be there only if he needs us. We never get that kind of a break...so we need to have reasonably attentive and caring people, but we never just hand him over.

We are leaning toward the Bavaro Suites or the Melia Caribe Tropical....but since some of the rooms are so far away at each we would have to try to get something closer to teh water/pool for our son's sake. Anyone who has thoughts comapring either of these could provide help....or even suggest others sort of like them.

Thanks. It was a shock to find out the hotel is closed, and having to have special needs met always adds another layer to the problem. Best regards for your thoughts.

[ricktoronto]

Stay away from AI's who seem incapable of reopening in 4 weeks when smaller tourist class hotels were never closed for the most part. This is an interesting paradox since you'd think with the funds they would be johnny-on-the-spot to reopen and not affect peoples plans, I guess not.

Reason #332 to avoid AI's. They can't reopen and don't really care what you think.

[Dolores]

Originally Posted by ricktoronto

Stay away from AI's who seem incapable of reopening in 4 weeks when smaller tourist class hotels were never closed for the most part. This is an interesting paradox since you'd think with the funds they would be johnny-on-the-spot to reopen and not affect peoples plans, I guess not.

Reason #332 to avoid AI's. They can't reopen and don't really care what you think.

Some AI's may have chosen to take advantage of the slower than usual slow season and use the insurance money to renovate the hotel, which probably they planned to do anyway. Others were affected when some charter flights contracted by tour operators chose to cancel flights for some weeks. Since these are big hotels it costs them lots of stay open without good occupancy, so probably they chose to go the way of moving on that planned renovation then and there.

Regardless, all those traveling to Punta Cana this winter season will find brand new hotels in the area, making the destination even more attractive.

[bobbie4572]

I see many people are saying stay away from AI's, however we went to Riu Naiboa and the staff there were wonderful. There were two or three mentally handicapped children there and the staff catered to them wonderfully. The made sure they were in the games, and having a great time. The games that the children could not participate in, they provided hula hoops or balls for the children to play with.


That was just a bonus to the great food and service we had. I had a standard room which was adequate for two adults. They also have suites available if you would need more room.

Enjoy.