El Beso Adults Only At Ocean El Faro - All Inclusive — Hotel in Higüey

My husband I recently had the pleasure of staying at the Ocean Al Faro El Beso, the adults-only section of the resort, in a Privilege room located in building 12. Here’s a detailed account of my experience:

Arrival and Check-In: We arrived at 3 AM due to a delayed flight. The lobby is stunning, but the check-in process was slower than expected, likely due to our late arrival and the size of our group. We were assigned a butler and provided with his contact information for the morning. However, I noticed that some guests in our group without Privilege status had already received emails from their butlers offering assistance before our arrival. When we contacted Joel, our butler, he asked us to meet him in the lobby. While he was friendly and helpful in making our reservations and assisting with the checkout process, it felt unnecessary to meet in person, as much of the information could have been communicated via text.

Room and Amenities: Our room was lovely and clean, and we appreciated the thoughtful welcome amenities, including robes, sandals, wine, champagne, and macaroons. The staff throughout the resort were incredibly friendly, with the blue team standing out for their enthusiasm. I do wish there were more activities available, but Arlene and Steban were wonderful hosts.

On the El Beso side, there are two pool bars—one is the lively main bar where Leonela provided fabulous service, and the other is closer to the beach. The staff here are among the friendliest I’ve encountered, and our housekeeping lady, Erica, was particularly polite and welcoming.

Dining Experience: For lunch, my favorite restaurant was El Pez Dama. The steakhouse had a beautiful setting, and our server, Leonel, provided excellent service, though I found the food to be somewhat lacking. If you’re in the mood for a good steak, I recommend sticking to Pez Dama for lunch, where Carmen also offered fantastic service. For breakfast, we tried both the Privilege and Pez Dama restaurants, with the Mexican restaurant being my second favorite due to its delicious food. The Italian and Sakura restaurants were also enjoyable, although I didn’t have the chance to try BlueMoon.

Negatives: While we booked the Privilege package, I didn’t notice significant differences from the regular rooms, as they all look quite similar and are in the same building. It seems like the Privilege package primarily offers a butler and top-shelf liquor, but only a few bars provided top-shelf options. Additionally, I was surprised that the Privilege package didn’t include Corona, which came at an extra charge of $5 USD per beer. The pool bars lacked top-shelf options, requiring a longer walk to access what we paid for.

We also dined at the Privilege restaurant for dinner, which was the only disappointing experience we had. The service was slow, and the food didn’t meet our expectations.

Another downside was the limited availability of washrooms around the resort. While the trolley drivers were friendly and fun, they didn’t come around often enough, so be prepared for a lot of walking.

Room Service: We used room service once for continental breakfast, but it took a long time to get through.

Conclusion: The staff at this resort are genuinely the highlight of our stay, and they would be the reason we might consider returning. However, I would likely skip the Privilege package next time, as I didn’t find it worth the extra cost. Overall, it was a memorable stay with some great experiences, but there are definitely areas for...

My friends and I recently stayed at Ocean El Beso (El Faro) and had an amazing time! From the moment we checked in our needs were closely attended to. Our bags were brought to our rooms, and we had a simple check in experience. Everyone was very friendly during our entire stay.

Our room was good - we had a two floor jacuzzi room. The AC was good in one unit however it was not working properly in the other unit. The AC unit in the other unit also leaked and had to be fixed by staff, which they did fix in a timely manner. The comfort of the room was very good! You can tell the buildings are aging however as there are obvious signs of wear throughout - cracks, sometimes water damage. Nothing we couldn’t put up with. The housekeeping staff was very attentive every day and did a wonderful job. Thanks to Gaudy for cleaning and Pedro for keeping our fridge stocked every day!

The food overall was good quality. We ate at all 12 restaurants on site. There were many options to choose from. Our favourites were Sakura and Pez Dama restaurants - delicious! The only restaurant that was not good was Margarita, as our whole group had upset stomach / illness that night / the following morning. The main buffet has plenty of options to choose from. My only recommendation would be offering small takeout containers for guests to take food back to their room / on their flights afterwards, e.g. for group members who are unable to make it to breakfast or other meals in time.

There are lots of places to visit on site including the lazy river, disco, many shows in the theatre, and many bars and pools. We really loved the variety of things to do! We can appreciate there are a lot of activities for families and kids to do (we didn’t do any because we are adults) as well as lots of adult-only activities like disco and drinking, separate on the adults side. This makes the experience fun for everyone.

There were many activities to do on site. For the most part, the employees did a great job putting together a great atmosphere all throughout. Specifically: Kevin in guest services texted us each morning with the activities going on that day. He also set up most of our dinner reservations for us. We felt like our needs were attended to quickly. Great job! The Blue Team (Yhunelli, Golden Boy, etc) was highly energetic every day in the El Beso pool. Lots of fun activities like water aerobics, volleyball, foam party, and drinking games. The piano bar was a great experience. Not sure of the piano players name but he was a pleasure to watch and even let us play a little. Bartenders Mario (super Mario) in the main bar and Carlos in the piano bar did a great job making speciality drinks and are obviously very talented and great to be around. Many of the servers at the restaurants we went to were friendly and had great vibes. Miguel and Jeifer at Pez Dama did a great job every time we saw them! The one negative for me was Carlos, Darius and Winid (?) in the ElBeso beach bar, ignoring our drink requests and instead pressuring us to take shots, even when members of our group are already quite under the influence.

Our checkout experience wasn’t quite as good as our check in experience as it was difficult to get a ride to the front desk, but nothing overly bad. We still felt like we were guests of the resort right until we left.

Overall we all had a great time, and I think we would come back in the future if we...

Review: Ocean El Faro/El Beso (Adults Only) Beautiful and Relaxing Escape

Resort & Grounds Ocean El Faro/El Beso was absolutely stunning! The resort is modern, clean, and well-maintained. The groundskeepers were constantly working to keep the landscape pristine, making the entire resort feel like a paradise. Despite its large size, the resort was easy to navigate, and shuttles/golf carts were available for transportation. However, we enjoyed walking and taking in the peaceful surroundings.

Accommodations Our room was gorgeous! Some reviews mention a musty smell, but it’s important to remember that the Dominican Republic is a humid region. The room itself was well-appointed, featuring: • A beautiful balcony with an egg chair swing • Dual waterfall showers • A canopy bed for added luxury

Housekeeping was excellent, coming in twice a day to make the bed and refresh towels. The entire experience felt upscale and comfortable.

Dining Experience The food at Ocean El Faro/El Beso exceeded our expectations! We enjoyed: • El Mercado (Main Buffet) – A great selection of fresh and flavorful dishes • Pez Dama (Adults-Only Oceanfront Restaurant) – Perfect for à la carte lunch options • Dinner Favorites: • Sakura (Japanese Hibachi) • Dolce Vita (Italian) • The Steakhouse • Route 66 (Great for late-night snacks)

The quality, speed of service, and friendly staff made every meal a pleasure.

Pools & Beach The pools were refreshing and well-maintained, with great poolside service and convenient snack bars. We especially loved the cabana beds, which allowed us to choose between sun or shade.

The beach was easy to access, with bars and restaurants right on the sand. A few things to note: • The waves directly in front of the resort are strong and the terrain is rocky. • Just a short walk to the left (when facing the ocean), there is a calm lagoon—perfect for floating and wading. • Snorkeling near the rock barrier allowed us to see plenty of marine life.

Be aware of beach vendors selling goods and services, but they were not overly aggressive.

Entertainment & Activities Our group (six adults, ages 24-33) had an amazing time enjoying the entertainment options: • Piano bar – Perfect for evening music and card games • Bowling alley – A fun way to unwind • Live music on Main Street – A lively atmosphere in the evenings

Some reviews mention long walks to restaurants, but given the resort’s size—including both an adults-only area with two large pools and a family-friendly section with additional pools, a lazy river, and a waterpark—we felt it was worth it. Plus, the walks were peaceful and scenic.

Final Thoughts Ocean El Faro/El Beso was an exceptional experience, and we were extremely impressed with the quality of service, cleanliness, and amenities. The staff were friendly and welcoming, always greeting us with a smile and a “Buenos días!”

One of our favorite surprises? The resort cats! Though stray, they were well-mannered and so sweet—an adorable touch to the experience.

We would highly recommend this resort to friends and family and can’t wait to return...