Ocean El Faro — Hotel in Higüey

We have just got back to the UK after a 2 week stay at Ocean El Faro (me, wife and 2 boys, aged 16 and 14) after booking the holiday through Tui. We were quite concerned after reading some of the negative reviews but we all had a great time and would definitely have no issues booking there again. We've done All Inclusives previously in Jamaica, St Lucia, Mexico and Cuba and thought the resort & Dominican Republic were fab.||Rooms|We booked 2 rooms and were situated in Block 9. Both were spacious, excellent beds (my wife is a poor sleeper) and had air conditioning & fans. They were clean, well decorated and had balcony's overlooking the lazy river. Rooms can be quite humid so we requested De-Humidifiers and these were in the room when we arrived. My wife also brought de-humidifier bags to place in the wardrobes and cupboards so these did the trick during our stay. Rooms were cleaned regularly (can place sign on door requesting) with fresh bath towels provided. We requested rooms together by emailing the hotel before hand, and whilst not guaranteed, these were just 1 room apart. Tip - do not leave clothing/bags on floor. Kids left bags and had some mildew when we left||Beach|Sargassum was quite bad and would build up regularly so this limits time in sea. Staff were continuously working to clear but fighting a losing battle. We liked to go down to the beach at 5pm each day as nice breeze and beachbar open till 6pm. Beach is nice with lots of places to sit.||Pools|We liked to stay round the Daisy Pool which was the main hub for activities during the day (water aerobics, games, water volleyball). People do put towels on the beds early in the morning but we never had an issue. If want a bed in the shade or with an umbrella then might need to get down there before 8am (although signs say you can't reserve, everyone does). Had no issues with pool cleanliness and staff were cleaning pools in the evening and early mornings. Lazy River is good fun - we took our own floats but not essential to have them. No issues getting served at pool bars - did get busy at time but staff all v good. Enjoyed the foam party - pool got very busy but everyone was in good spirits and had a great time. Bar staff do come round and take drink orders but we'd tend to just head over ourselves||Resort|Resort is huge! Buggies run regularly from the Lighthouse to the main Lobby for those that want it - not far off a 10 min walk between the 2 locations. Good choice of locations for food/drinks. My wife & I used the gym every day and had plenty of apparatus/weights for those that are trying to burn off the many calories from the food/drink consumed :-)||Lobby|Lobby is fantastic, very grand and best we've seen at any of the all inclusives we've been to - great place to get an afternoon or early evening drink. There is a lovely piano bar which seems to be under utilised. We did go in there for the British Night, expecting a sing-along of Oasis, Adele, Beatles tunes but instead was a version of the Three Tenors - very good singers but not one for families with children.||Restaurants/Mikes Coffee Bar|The coffee bar is the best we've been to at an all inclusive. Wide range of hot & cold drinks and sandwiches/cakes. Went there at least once a day - think others had the same idea so can be queuing for up to 15 mins when busy (but not an issue as got all the time in the world)||We ate at all the restaurants, including the buffet and had good experiences in all. They have no issues with you ordering additional starters/mains if unsure what to have:||Buffet - different theme for each evening and wide range selection. Fresh meat and fish cooked at the stations plus large selection of salads, desserts and other dishes||Sakura Japanese - as per other Japanese all inclusive restaurants, you get your own chef who cooks food at your table and entertains. Cooked beef, chicken, shrimp & veg with rice. Really good fun - kids loved it||Steakhouse - can choose a range of steaks or chicken/salmon. You can opt to pay a supplement for other steaks/lobster options but we stuck with the standard all inclusive menu. By the end of the holiday, i was ordering the filet, a flank steak and shrimp so never went hungry! Mash is good as well :-)||Italian - I'd recommend the Parmesan chicken. Went there 3 times and one of our favourites. No pizza option (you'll need to go to the buffet at lunchtime or Italian night)||Mexican - Went for the Fish option which was one of my favourite meals of the holiday. Slightly disappointed with the fajitas as quite small portion, but you can order twice if you want :-)||Route 66 American Diner - offer a range of burgers/sandwiches. Ate there once and no complaints. Good milkshakes||Burger Bar (daytime) - kids would eat there most days. Wasn't too happy on my first visit as burger was cooked but stone cold. Was fine every other time though and kids enjoyed going there. Just wish they had a bit of a wider selection of food around the pools (nachos/crisps/chicken) although can opt for the main buffet instead (but will need to get dry and dressed)||We did not go to the Blue Moon as men need to wear trousers and I didn't pack any. ||Breakfast Buffet|We ate at the main buffet on most days due to wide range of foods available. Excellent omelettes, smoothies and fruit selection. You can opt for buffet breakfast at Villa Marina restaurant on the beach as much quieter but much smaller selection of food||Tipping|Whilst not essential, if you want to tip then do so but made no difference to service provided or how quick you are served despite what some reviews say. We took US dollars and provided tips but not for every drink. We provided larger tips when felt the service deserved it||Entertainment|The daily activities are uploaded on to the App. In the main centre there is a Family Lounge with various games, a small arcade and a Bowling Alley with Virtual Reality Rides. Bowling alley is not the greatest. There's a kids pool and a play centre for younger children. Entertainment Staff were all great - always had a smile and kept people entertained. My only gripe was that activities were limited for teenagers and had expected more activity that was focussed for them, especially as the Daisy Pool is for families (and have Beso for adults only pools/entertainment)||We visited the Showtime Theatre on a few occasions over the fortnight. Shows last approx 30 mins. Favourite was Michael Jackson but 12yr old like the magician and circus acts||We loved the beach party and the fire dancers. Still fuming that I didn't win the dance competition though :-)||Excursions|We did the Saona Island trip which was a long but fab day. We booked this online through a separate tour operator as much cheaper then the packages offered at the hotel. Beautiful beaches and enjoyed the catamaran boat ride.||We also booked go karting - boys loved it. Probably not the safest go kart track I have visited though....||Big shout outs to:|Angel - our TUI concierge was fantastic throughout our stay. Responded to all our asks and arranged bookings of restaurants when requested. Would update us daily via WhatsApp on activities and ask if could provide assistance for anything we needed||Estefany - our lobby bar waitress. Would be straight with us the second we walked in to the lobby bar to find us seats and take our drinks order. So friendly and service with a smile||Ricardo - the singing barman at the Daisy Pool Bar. Great service and never left us without a drink (or a song!)||The Blue Team Entertainment staff - Enrique, Gerson, Joel, Stefany (and others i've forgotten to mention) - work long hours but always smiling and ensuring everyone is having the best time and on hand to support when needed||Gutted to be home. Most people we spoke to whilst there were having a fantastic time. So glad we didn't change hotels as had seriously considered this up to 2 weeks before travelling. Final tips:||1) take some damprid bags for wardrobes/cupboards|2) Ask for De humidifiers in room|3) Take your own insulated cups as they are happy to fill them up at the poolbars with whatever drink you want|4) Factor 50 suncream - we had this on throughout but still burnt|5) Choose the queue on the left (not the right one) when arriving at Passport control. Goes much quicker as have E-Passport machines|5) Plugs are very much hit and miss as are the USB charging points|6) If you can speak Spanish do so, they laughed at my awful Spanish but appreciate the attempt|7) You can get taxis via Uber if want to travel out yourself. Macao beach is lovely and not...

Let me begin with the bartender, Javier, who is on the El Beso side of the resort at the bar closest to bldg 17, is the best. He was calm and friendly. Jos drinks were very well made, he suggested other drinks based on what we ordered, he was able to multi-task with all of his customers, being attentive to each one of us and the drinks were tasty. And Mike’s Coffee Shop is worth visiting, while on the resort. ||Raymond at the Japanese Restaurant, Ramon at the Italian restaurant and Ricardo at the Steakhouse were excellent servicers. They were personable and made the dining experience an adventure. Renee, in the spa was also fantastic and tuned in to the parts of my body that needed to most attention during the massage. ||Sooooo, we (family group) stayed at Ocean El Faro, El Beso in Uvero, Alta, Punta Cana from September 1-September 5, 2025. My sister and I shared a room. When we arrived, we were treated great. We were greeted with mimosas and so much courtesy. This encouraged us to add the Privilege Upgrade to our stay. We were told AND given a flyer that stated with this “upgrade”, we were to receive (amongst other things) customized attention and butler service; spacious rooms w/private terrace and privileged views of the resort; privilege amenities in the room; turndown service; exclusive bath amenities; and 24 hour room service w/ a special Privilege menu. We were provided a bottle of sparkling wine. ||When we walked into the room, we had to force the door open because it was uneven. The mini refrigerator was not cold (or even cool), nor was there ice in the room (which we asked for). I called the butler and he had the refrigerator replaced to one that kept the mini-bar items cool, never were they cold. The door was not fixed during our stay and we had to request ice every evening...one night waiting approximately 90 minutes for the ice to arrive. ||On our second day (Tuesday), I noticed after our room was supposed to have been cleaned that the same three hairs that were in the shower before the room was “cleaned”, were still there when we returned to the room. I called the butler and he had someone come and clean the room while we went to dinner. When ww returned to the room from dinner that night, I called room service for some cranberry juice and ice. I was told that room service did not deliver beverages because there were beverages in the mini bar. There were beverages-beer, water, coke, orange fanta, sprite, some juices and mini bottles of gin (and one snack-a single bag of plantains) in the mini fridge. However, none of the items in the mini fridge were beverages I wanted or liked, nor were we asked what beverages we would have preferred to have. ||We requested turndown service each night and never received it. Housekeeping came to the door and offered towels. We hadn’t asked for towels so coild not figure out why they were there. We contacted the butler (Alexander) and he said they came for turndown service. Who wants turn down service when you are in the room for the night. I, at least , expected it to be done while we were at dinner, especially because the butler made the dinner reservations, so he was aware of when we would be out of the room. ||I tried to use the lotion bottle that was in the room. I couldn’t because it had no spout. I took it off the dispenser, so housekeeping would notice it (I was surprised that it was not noticed before check in but...) and replace the bottle. They didn’t and I had to bring it to the butler’s attention. Also, I had to let him know that when our room was serviced, none of the amenities were refilled. I looked at my pillows after the bed had been made and noticed that not only was my pillow case stained, the pillow itself was stained with some unknown something. I stripped the bed and the butler had housekeeping remake the bed and pillows. ||On Wednesday, I went to the main lobby to let them know everything that had happened to that point and that we were not receiving the service for which we paid. Marlin made a list of everything I told her and said she would provide it to the butler and other appropriate personnel. I told her that there was beverages in the mini fridge that I was not going to drink and asked why room service would not bring me something to drink. She verified that the mini fridge had beverages in it. She did ask what specific beverage I wanted and had a bottle of cranberry juice sent to the room. I did not hear from the butler about the issues I reported, that day or the next. ||I went down to the lobby again on Thursday morning and when I reported the issues again the first thing I was asked again was if I had reported the issues to the butler, the answer again was YES. On this day the Privilege Customer Service Representative ( I believe it was Jose) asked me to complete a report so that the powers that be would be aware of the issues and my request for a refund for the services not received as advertised. He said someone would be in touch with me by the end of that day. ||NO ONE got in contact with me by the end of the day. As a matter of fact, the butler ceased all communications with me and would not respond to my messages. So I went back to the lobby on Friday morning (my last day) to see what was going on. I was told by Mary S that the report was on file. I asked to speak to the manager and was told the manager would not be in until about 9:30 or maybe 10 that morning. I told Mary S, I would be back, because we were leaving at 11that morning and I wanted to try to rectify the issue before I left the country because I felt as if I would be ignored after I left the resort. Mary S assured me that that would not happen. I came back to the lobby at 10 am and the manager was in a meeting. I waited to speak to her for 25 minutes. When I spoke to Imike Bonilla (who I was told was the manager) she told me that the report had been sent to her managers and she was awaiting an answer from them. I explained to her that I felt that she was trying to stall me until it was time to go. She was adamant that this was NOT true. She assured me that she would call me on Monday (September 8) with an answer to having the money refunded for the butler services that were not received (including and not limited to-NO turn down service (requested every night); NO exclusive amenities (we had the same amenities as every other room), NO 24 hour room service exclusive menu; the room was the same room as everyone else, nothing spectacular or privileged about it and DEFINITELY no privileged views of the resort). ||Ms Bonilla did not call on Monday. I gave her time to respond to me and by Wednesday, I called her. Surprisingly, she answered and told me she would call me back Wednesday afternoon. She did not, I called again on Thursday, she did not answer. I called again today (Friday September 12), she answered and told me she was in a meeting and would call me back in an hour. That was 3 hours ago! ||At this point, I just want the fee for the butler service returned. Hopefully, they will get in touch with me as promised. Maybe my experience is an anomaly, but I want to warn anyone else who is considering going to the resort what to look out for. Maybe your experience...

Just returned from a 2 week stay at Ocean El Faro in Punta Cana. Before going to the hotel, we did read a lot of reviews online which made us feel slightly apprehensive, however we went with an open mind and put the reviews to one side.||Location and Rooms: ||We stayed in a swim up room in the El Beso section, allowing us to opt for both the adults only side and the El Faro section where the family pools were in addition to the Lazy River, both the room and the bathroom were a generous size. Before going to the hotel we read quite a lot about the smell of damp within the rooms, however we did not experience this, the only bad smells which we encounter were from the sargassum as you had trucks next to the hotel who were trying to clean this from the beaches on a daily basis, but this smelled for a few minutes before it settled. The swim up pool, while nice, did feel quite small. We were at the hotel with another party and had asked prior for adjoining rooms however the hotel said they did not have this available; not a major down sell but just something to be mindful of. While the maid service was okay, we did have a few days where the room wasn’t cleaned until 3pm and often the maid would stop around 12 and disappear for 2 hours before reappearing and then would prefer to have a conversation with others rather than clean the rooms. Whilst the housekeeping service would sweep and mop the floors, the rooms would benefit from daily vacuuming as the floors remained quite dirty. Rooms also have universal power outlets by the bed meaning we did not have to use adapters; the other outlets in the room still require adaptors though. ||Entertainment: ||The hotel has some activities throughout the day and in the evenings, special shoutout to Deivi and Emmanual from the Blue Team who were fantastic. The hotel app shows an outline of the entertainment for each day, but we found this was often incorrect or not adhered to. Entertainment around the pool area ran in two shifts, morning 1000-1300 and afternoon 1500-1700, and would play games such as ring toss or corn hole, then volleyball and aqua gym. We looked forward to the El Beso foam party on a Tuesday afternoon but were underwhelmed during the event. Every other morning, they did “ice bath” - a single person sitting in a bucket of ice – which became boring and repetitive when no one wanted to partake. ||The evening entertainment, hosted in the main El Faro area, included Bingo, Karaoke and different events each evening. There were nightly shows at 2130, including a magic show, circus show, and lots of dancing. The El Beso section had a private beach bar for “El Beso by night”, but this venue left lots to be desired as it was uncomfortable to sit at and the seating enforced sitting as couples facing away from other groups; this venue would be improved massively by replacing the chairs, allowing groups to form naturally and guests to mingle. ||Food and Drink: ||The food at the hotel was okay, for those who are wanting to access the buffet, be aware that this is open for Breakfast and lunch but closed for dinner (this could just be due to the season) so you will have to book into or walk into one of the restaurants for dinner. During breakfast you had an option of hot food, fruit, yoghurts and pastries at the main buffet. For the brits, you’ll need to bring your own black/English Breakfast teabags. For dinner we had the option of 7 restaurants, 3 of which require booking in advance; bookings were easy to make through the app and we were not racing each morning when slots were releases. I highly recommend Sakura, great food and a show; we did this twice and found that each chef is different, our time with Raymond was outstanding but our second visit felt rushed. We did try Magarita (Mexican) twice, however both times we faced a long wait for food. Service at all restaurants was fantastic, but it was common for food to come out lukewarm. There is a wide choice of drinks available at the bars throughout the day. Shoutout to Francis and Jean Carlos at the El Beso pool bar. ||Other information: |At no point did we encounter a language barrier with staff. All staff could speak basic English and announcements during entertainment were made in Spanish, English, and French. ||At check-in, we were assigned a concierge who would be able to help us book into the restaurants and would be available for anything which we need support with. We saw our concierge once and then never again for the whole trip, we managed to book all the restaurants ourselves (via H10 app) and when we did message them via WhatsApp about an issue which we had they were not very helpful and only recommended a local shopping trip to us (something we did not need at all). ||The local shopping trip personally isn’t worth it, you are taken to one shop where they have gifts, and this can all be accessed in the main hotel’s shop. Prices at this shop aren’t much different to the hotel’s own shop either. ||My partner went to the Lazy River one day and came out to find their shoes had been stolen. We attempted to report this to the hotel, but no one seemed to care although the hotel is littered in cameras. ||The deepest pools are only 1.35m deep in El Beso and 1.2m in El Faro. This felt quite shallow and eventually became uncomfortable as you’re constantly crouching to keep your...