https://www.oceanhotels.net/en/punta-cana-hotels/ocean-blue-sand
Travel Dates: July 14 – 20, 2018
Review Date: July 22, 2018
Introduction
Just to start this review off on the right foot I want to make sure that it is understood a few things as it pertains to what perspective I am writing this review and why. My family (wife and 11 year old son) typically sets a family vacation budget in the range of $3500.00 – $5000.00 USD annually. I did not get overly involved in the search of a vacation destination. I am pretty much open to anything and flexible and as long as a vacation includes my son and wife. Otherwise, it really doesn’t matter to me. We have typically taken pretty safe American vacations over the years that includes cruises that departed from the U.S., a Washington D.C. historical vacation, Hershey Park amusement park and all things chocolate vacation, Ana Marie Island in Florida, Niagara Falls, and Virginia Beach a couple of times. My wife recommended trying an “all-inclusive” and found the Ocean Blue and Sand by H10 Hotels. I was certainly open to the idea and we thought we could have a great time in the Dominican Republic. We already had our passports from previous cruises and Niagara Falls trips, so why not stretch a little and see a little beyond the borders. I don’t get overly involved in choosing too much about vacation and my wife loves doing the research and trying new places. I didn’t get crazy researching anything before our trip like the culture, the citizens, resort, or anything like that, so I went into this trip with very few expectations, other that what my wife mentioned to me…so here it goes…
Booking/Reservations
My wife began making reservation using BDTravel which she came across while looking how to book this vacation. She ended up using BDTravel to book the resort, flights, and transportation in January of 2018. The process was not crazy easy and I witnessed and few language barrier issues and a couple of other issues arose during the booking/reservations process. Initially, the credit card used did not go through and as she called to straighten out the problem, it ultimately was not with the credit card company, but with BDTravel processing. It took a few days to get the trip booked and charges applied to the credit card. The issues started with a lack of understanding on our part in who to call for assistance. Once she did connect with someone there was a definite language issue that caused a delay in getting the reservation issues resolved quickly. This eventually got worked out and we were booked for our typical July family vacation. Another issue that arose as we got closer to our vacation involved my wife calling Air Canada to get assigned seating with the round trip flights that were booked through BDTravel. As she was arranging seat assignments she found out that one of the Air Canada connecting flights on our return trip home was moved to a later time, which would cause us to miss our connection flight home. I understand and know first hand that airline changes happen all the time and that we would need to make adjustments…no problem. While my wife was on the phone with Air Canada for seat assignments she asked them to change our home bound flights and we were happy to do whatever we needed to do to get us home. Apparently, the way the flight was booked, BDTravel needed to make the change. This is where some of the frustrations started again…no clear main customer service center to call and there was definitely a language barrier to quickly resolving the issue. When she did call a couple of numbers on the website we got many hang ups after they heard us say ‘Hello’. I am jumping to the conclusion that perhaps they couldn’t speak English and hung up, but after a few times it is more than a coincidence. Once she connected with someone that could speak English and understand our problem they knew what to do to get the flights corrected, but it took way too much time for a simple flight change. But, as before, the issue did get fixed with some persistence and we got what we needed to get home, but not after my wife spent over an hour on the phone weaving through the layers of people to find the one that knew what to do. I will share some of the blame for this as we don’t speak Spanish, so the language issues were on both sides.
July arrived and off we go to the Dominican Republic…Punta Cana!
Flight
The flights were uneventful to and from Pittsburgh. We chose to use Air Canada and had connecting flights through Toronto both ways. We chose to use Air Canada partially because of the times, costs, and our familiarity and comfort with Air Canada over an off-brand airline. And we know that Canadians can be the friendliest people on the planet ;>)
Arrival in DR
We arrived in Punta Cana on July 14 around 4:00 PM to sunshine, blue skies, and the opportunity to unplug. The security and customs lines were long, but went fairly quickly. Unbeknownst to me, a lot of people travel to Punta Cana, so it was a bit of a shocking scene when we arrived due to the heards of people that were going through the security and immigration/customs process, but we managed the process to get out of the airport.
Transportation
Once finally out of the airport we stood in a transportation line for BDTravel. We paid a little extra to have BDTravel provide shuttle service to and from the resort. We were told to meet up with the BDTravel rep the next day at the resort between the hours of 11:45 – 2:00 to find out about our departure shuttle. We were guided to our shuttle. The ride from the airport to the resort was an uneventful 30 minute ride or so through a little bit of a town with gas stations, malls, and restaurants and a rural area in a small van with a handful of others going to other resorts.
Check In

We chose to book the resort with “Privilege” status, at an addition cost. This “Privilege” added a few other amenities to our stay, such as a Privilege only “club house” with premium drinks and snacks, butler type services, an alternative breakfast spot, stocked mini bar in room, private beach tents/cabanas with bar service, and the ability to make reservations at restaurants vice standing in line when these specialty restaurants opened. We also had a check-in process that was at a different location and was very welcoming…with drinks and moist towels to freshen ourselves up a bit. Once our check-in was complete a golf cart whisked is away to our building and room. This was a nice touch.
Room

Our room was on the opposite side of the property, so not having to drag our bags to our room was helpful. Our personal butler kindly carried our heavy bags up to the third floor for us. There are no elevators on premise for whatever reason. The room was OK. I understand via my wife that we should have received a fruit basket and a couple of other things for my son that we didn’t receive, like a robe, but I am not on vacation to complain. It is the resort’s job to make sure that things get done right and not for me to complain during my stay. The room was OK, but it did seem a little worn in areas, but it is a location in the heat and combined with the sea air it can’t make the maintenance of these places all that easy. Unfortunately, we did notice bugs that we didn’t think should have been around, ant-like things, that seemed to hang out primarily in the bathroom. At first thought we thought they might be bed bugs, but after an inspection by my wife the beds seemed clear of bugs. My wife wasn’t particularly fond of the bugs in the bathroom, but again I am not going to complain. We had a maid in our room every day and if she didn’t see it as a problem to report, either she didn’t care or wasn’t doing her job or whatever. I have a fairly stressful existence in reality and I don’t want to get all fired up with something, so I learned to be OK with them…’one with the bugs’. I was here to relax and forget who I was with just me and my family.


Property
The property, overall, was beautiful. Two giant pools, enough pool chairs, two pool bars, plenty of restrooms, and a large buffet area for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, a selection of restaurants that offered a different experience over the buffet, a great reception/bar area with live music, and small water areas with wildlife.


Beach
This time of year, either due to weather activity or seasonal changes, there was a lot of seaweed in the water and on the beach. I really had no major expectations and there was nothing that the resort could do about it. My son and I didn’t let the seaweed issue bother us; we were in the ocean every day, laughing, chatting, and enjoying our time together. My wife was sort of put off by it, but my son and I became “one with the weed” and closer because we had some quality time together. The water was not crystal clear blue ocean water, but whatever.



Food/Restaurants
Some people find that the food on cruises and at resorts to be fantastic, but I always find the food during these experiences not good, not bad, but OK and edible. The presentation is what captures the stomach…not necessary the food. This is no slight to the resort, but when making food for thousands of people the food tends to be just OK. The foods, in general, did taste a little different from what what might be expected. The hamburger was good just different, the pizza was good just different, the soups, fries, eggs, bacon, etc., was good…just a little different than the equivalent in the U.S. The food was fine in the restaurants we went to (Italian and Japanese hibachi )…good, but a little different. My son was able to find a few food choices that he stuck with during the week, such as pancakes, fries, crepes, pizza, and dessert. All was good and we enjoyed it.
Entertainment
We didn’t participate in many property entertainment offerings nor did we do any off-site excursions. I understand that there are all kinds of excursions and things to do, but we sort of just went with the flow and did our best to just chill and relax, without any schedule or “Have-To’s”. We did sit for the magic show one evening that was really good. My son and I also bowled in the resort’s six lane bowling alley and played a couple of games of pool. Other than that we just hung out.

Service
The service all around was hit or miss. There were some service staff that seemed very happy to be there and others not so much. Maybe it was us…the Americans, but we did tip everyone that serviced us, so maybe it was just our perception. There were two guys that seem to really enjoy what they were doing…Marino at the Privilege beach bar area and Alcide, a waiter that we encountered during our last hours in the buffet. Hats off to these guys. We probably tipped Marino $25 – $35 through out the week for greeting us when we arrived at the cabana spot and added some little touches here and there. He seemed genuine. We typically tipped the wait staff a few of bucks for meals services and to up to five dollars if we felt someone went above and beyond. I am pretty flexible as far as service goes and I don’t complain all that much about anything, so it really bothers me to say that there were a good amount of service people we encountered that didn’t seem overly thrilled to be there or wait on us. Maybe I will take some of the blame for that, maybe a language thing or cultural difference in expectations.
Sales People
So how in the hell did a Sales People category end up on a vacation review? Apparently a big thing in the Dominican Republic and region is the selling of timeshares. It continues to be a high pressure tactic even after telling many H10 people we weren’t interested in timeshares or interested in the ‘Welcome Breakfast’ with free gifts, AKA a timeshare high pressure sales meeting. We weren’t interested even looking at timeshares. Generally, I was on vacation and wanted to be left alone with my wife and son. The addition of Privilege should have at least bought me the right to be left alone. Not that it was all that much of an issue, but my Privilege band should have provided me with that benefit, too. Also, another minor annoyance were the vendors selling souvenirs on the property. There was a day and a few evenings where vendors seem a little more aggressive about selling their stuff than they needed to be. Sure, the family bought some items from these guys, but when I was done I wanted to be done. The hassling, haggling, and deal making was fun for about ten minutes, but when I was done it would have been nice for it to be done. I understand that this is the culture and their way to make a buck, but sometimes it is a little much. If you plan to visit, just be prepared.
Checkout
The check process was a little clumsy. Someone did come and pick us and our luggage up from our room to a place where we could wait for our BDTravel shuttle back to the airport. No one told us that there was a formal check-out process or to proceed to the Privilege service desk. I was looking for a BDTravel branded person and/or vehicle to arrive at pickup time, but all I noticed was some uniformed guy in a green shirt looking for a pick-up among many other drivers of other shuttles doing the same. The green shirt guy was ultimately the pickup for us, but had I not asked, I would think he would have left. I have stayed at quite a few hotels in the U.S. and don’t really remember the last time I did a formal checkout. I usually just leave a hotel without checking out and the receipt is emailed to me. Apparently, the resort must give give you a check-out slip to give to the pickup shuttle company. Again , not a big deal, just a communication issue and caused some guests that were picked up prior to us to wait a little long than they needed to in the shuttle.
Language/Culture
The language/culture is a bit different for a family like mine, but we got by fine. None of us speak Spanish and a few resort personnel didn’t seem to speak English. Not a big deal, but if you are uncomfortable in these types of situations or want everyone to speak perfect English, the Dominican Republic might not be the vacation spot for you.
Departure
After seven days of being on a beautiful property, relaxing the best I could, and providing my family with a new experience, the end was imminent and the trip home, back to reality, had to come
Summary
Overall the property is beautiful and very picturesque and it reminded us everyday the we were indeed somewhere other than our hometown. Direct non-stop sunshine, sand between my toes, all you can consume food and drinks, and time away from reality with my family with a little bit of a culture twist…you can’t ask for much more.
Pros – The Privilege add-on was worth it even though we didn’t get or take advantage of everything it offered, we did see and use a couple of things that paid for itself. We spent quite a bit of time at the exclusive “club house” that was on the beach and made reservations at a couple of restaurants.
Cons – The sales people could really become a bother and the bugs on the bathroom (presumably only in the bathroom?) were two of the biggest cons for me. I don’t let a lot of things bother me on vacation…I am on vacation, but it seemed there was a lack of consistency all around.
Q&A
Q. Do you need any special shots or vaccinations?
A. My wife did research on this and the conclusion we came to was that we should be OK if we weren’t leaving the resort, so we didn’t do anything special and don’t appear to have any issues or tropical diseases at this point.
Q. Can you drink the water?
A. We took advice from many sources, including a sign in the bathroom, not to consume the tap water…not even to brush your teeth. So none of us brushed our teeth for a week. Just kidding, we just used bottled water which was in abundance. The only thing we used the tap water for was for showering. We did make sure our son understood not to drink the tap water, even when showering.
Q. Did you have any stomach illness?
A. Not even a remote sign of an upset stomach. I ate a wide variety of food and everything was fine.
Q. Do you need to speak Spanish? Is English spoken in the DR?
A. Spanish would have helped and I wish I could have brought that as an aid. To fake it by saying “Hola” and “Gracias” seems like more of an insult. As soon as I said “Hello” an individual would know to shift to English and not represent my “Hola” for “I speak Spanish”.
Q. Why did you pick DR, Punta Cana?
A. It was a little out of our comfort zone, my son likes the idea of foreign countries and is interested in other cultures, we were never there, and at least one of us (me) didn’t care where I went with my family, as long as it was dedicated time without running into Joe, Bob, Susie, or Jane…AKA, people I know.
Q. Is there WiFi?
A. Yes, there was WiFi available and it was pretty solid. Important for an eleven year old, but not so much for someone trying to escape reality. The Internet wasn’t unavailable for a few hours one day, but other than that it was really solid and robust.
Q. What did you pack?
A. Too much! We packed multiple changes of clothes in anticipation of needing attire for the oceans/pools, dinner, and just walking around. If we each just brought a few pairs of shorts/swim suits, a couple t-shirts, and underwear along with some toothpaste, tooth brushes and deodorant, we would have been just fine.
Q. Do the pools have any water toys?
A. I didn’t see any resort supplied water toys, but we did bring some cheap blow-up tubes and rafts that we gave away at the end of our trip. They were nice to have.
Q. Did you feel safe?
A. I felt safe the entire time, especially as a guest in a foreign country whose primary language in not English. We did see uniformed guards around with clubs, but I didn’t see any of these guards with guns or other weapons.
Q. How was the weather? Did it rain at all?
A. Weather was great, no complaints. It did rain a couple of times here-and-there, but only for 20 minutes or so. The rain at one point was hard, but we all took the opportunity to jump in the pool and get rained on.
Q. Would you go back to the DR again? Would you stay at the Ocean Blue and Sand again?
A. I would probably return to the DR again, but it would be better if I could make an honest attempt at Spanish. The Ocean Blue and Sand was nice (aside from the couple of issues we experienced), but I have no other all inclusive resort experience to compare it to, so I can’t say that the Ocean Blue and Sand was better or worse than any others, but I wouldn’t rule it out. I do think BDTravel should be avoided and next time we might consider a travel agent to avoid some of the initial issues we had where language was a barrier.
Q. Why did you decide to write this review?
A. It was an experience off the beaten path, out of the ordinary, and something I thought could be useful to someone thinking about doing something similar. I could have written reviews on other vacations I have taken, but they would have just blended in with many of the other typical U.S. vacation destinations and experiences.




