TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Went to the Gran Ventana from April 25th to May 2. There was 10 of us, adults in early fifties to late forties and kids from age 7 to 22. This is a bit of a tough review to write because we had a really ...good time and the price was pretty good but there were some deficiencies. The rooms were fine had a great balcony but you are generally not in your room much so as long as they are decent, I think that’s enough. I thought the food was fairly good but not great. We went to the Octopus twice and I would say it was really good. We had different things like steak, salmon, ceviche, pumpkin soup, calamari, all very good. We had a reservation at the Italian but the hotel cancelled it due to a staff party. You have to line up in the morning to book the a la cartes and there is limited availability for large groups. The buffet was decent for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I found the fish, chicken ,salads, French fries, rice dishes and desserts the best. The beef at the buffet seemed low quality, spongy. For breakfast eggs and omelettes were the only things made fresh. Lots of fresh fruit and juice. A lot of the buffet items scared me off, just didn’t look great and maybe sitting for a long time. That said, I gained 5 pounds on this trip and I ate a lot. If you pick the right items and are not a picky eater, you will enjoy. The pool was large. The beach was ok but it was rocky and weedy in places. If you are looking for a pristine beach, this is not the place. But I enjoyed it anyway. The entertainment, this is a tough one. First of all Bryan, Shaggy and Droupy were amazing. The amount of stuff those three guys did was amazing. The problem is they needed more of them. They worked these three to the bone. They kept things lively at the pool and did a tremendous job. We joined almost everything. Crazy games, drinking contests, pool volleyball, bachi ball, bike tour, darts contest. These were all really good. The night time entertainment was fair to good. I enjoyed the guest participation performances the best. Karaoke, musical chairs, trivia contests, dance parties. We got involved a lot and thoroughly enjoyed these activities. The other shows with the professionals like the Dominican night and Caribbean night were not my thing. They had a silent disco one night which I thought was ridiculous but everyone seemed to enjoy it though. One last shout out to the entertainment staff, they were the highlight of the resort. You can walk along the beach both ways for quite a while, that was nice. There is a mall for souvenirs and clothes next door. The hotel is close to the airport. I only drink beer so I can’t comment on the drinks but someone in our group loved the blue lagoons. Overall, we had a great time. They were a bit short staffed and didn’t have some of the frills one might hope for but overall it was quite good.

This is a hard resort to rate. If you are looking to just chill and eat and hang out clean environment this is the place. The food is decent and the resort is clean. Beyond that, they have nothing to offer.... The entertainment is almost non-existent. There is no beach party or barbecue on the beach or activities on the beach. There is no vendor market that comes in to set up during the week. The nightly entertainment is the poorest I've seen and almost non-existent. They don't have a nice big main bar to sit around in the evening by the lobby and drink and meet people. They have one just outside the small lobby area that is just a desk and you almost wouldn't know that's where you can get a drink cuz it's literally just a counter you step up too and tell them what you want. Also, on the weekend to bring in money they let the locals come in at a discount to have a mini vacation or a day pass but they let too many people in and they can't accommodate in the buffet Hall. We tried getting in there on the Saturday and it was overrun and crazy and no tables to be had and it was complete pandemonium. And if you can't get in the buffet Hall and you don't have a reservation for one of the à la cartes then you're not eating because there's no other choice. The only other place to eat during the afternoon is the snack bar at the beach and there's very little food there. You can only get burgers hot dogs fries and corn pizza so if you want a meal other than that you're not getting it if you can't get in the buffet. The drinks and the wine are watered down. As for the pool it is decent but they don't clean it during the day and by the time lunch time comes around there's already a lot of crap floating in it. They clean it once very early in the morning scooping everything out and then they don't maintain it throughout the day.it was relaxing and clean and they take care of the place and the food is decent but it was probably the most boring holiday I've had and once you've had dinner there's nothing to see or do and everyone just retires to the room and the place is empty

Honest review time! Vacation dates April 25th to May 2nd 2025 Occasion: Vow Renewal Party: 19 people I did a lot of research before we before choosing a resort. Joined a ton of FB groups, read a lot of... reviews. What set Gran Ventana part from the rest and helped us choose where we wanted to stay was this group. So many of you have stayed here countless times and had such great and helpful information. The resort lived up to the groups reviews. The property is small, needed a small property for some of the older adults in our group. We traveled with 5 kids (11-17) and they all enjoyed the resort, the beach, the snorkelling, the entertainment etc. The resort is older, but we didn’t mind. My one son’s door (where you put the card in) stopped working and maintenance was up to fix it very quickly. The one downside to the key cards…they constantly needed to be reprogrammed…and no they weren’t next to phones. The food was fabulous. The buffet…chefs kiss! The A la cartes….best food I have ever had at them! The buffet always had something for everyone. My kids throughly enjoyed it. The ocean grill at lunch time…do not skip that, amazing Wings! My hubby and I had a romantic dinner (supposed to be on the beach…it poured for hours that night) enjoyed it by the bar at the Ocean Grill. Phenomenal! The drinks, so many options! I think I tried 90% of the options on the menu and wasn’t disappointed by majority of them. Some just weren’t my cup of tea and that was fine. Staff, what can I say that hasn’t already been said. They are ONE OF A KIND! From the bar staff, to the wait staff, to the housekeepers, to the entertainment staff, to the front desk staff, to the management. Solange, the guest services manager…she is a dream! She and I had been chatting for over a year about the Vow Renewal, she was on point! Couldn’t have asked for anything better from her! We had a flawless Vow Renewal on the 28th. It poured rain in the morning up until about 12:30, the ceremony was at 3 on the beach. We had a hiccup with the Salon (I’ll save that for another paragraph) but everything else including the photographer, Yris Sanchez, was amazing. The flowers…stunning. The cake….stunning. Yris Sanchez, our amazing photographer for the Vow Renewal…literally can’t say enough good things! She was fire! Amazing ideas for photos, her helper for the grooms photos was fabulous also! Her photoshop skills, girl you are good! Don’t hesitate to book with Yris! Her prices are exceptional and fair! She is the sweetest lady! We loved working with her :) The only bad thing I will say in this review. The Salon, was absolutely the worst experience ever. I was shocked. We came down for our 9:30 appointment, the salon staff didn’t show up until 10:30. We showed her inspiration photos, what she did….was NOTHING like the picture. She didn’t once tell us she couldn’t do it and offer up other examples of her work. We had appointment for 5 hair do’s, and 2 makeup (myself and my mom). I, the Bride, refused to get my hair done there after watching in horror the 4 previous styles get done. My neice and daughter curled my hair before my MOH styled it for me. I did my OWN makeup. I know none of you know me but I am NOT a makeup girlie. But I tested out the look I was going for at our rehearsal dinner so I could show the salon what I was thinking of. I just ended up doing that again. The lady at the salon gave my mom sooo much hassle. Wanted to charge her $90USD per person’s hair she did and every single one, was something I or someone else in my wedding party could have done for FREE. Luckily, it got sorted and that was the end of that. But I DO NOT recommend the salon. I also am not a picky person with hair and Makeup…this was just not okay. They wanted to charge us $20 USD for bobby pins. Elbia Toursrd just reminded me! We booked with them a beautiful waterfalls tour for the Wednesday, but with the severe rainfall we got over those few days it had to be cancelled for safety reasons. Elvia and his wife Bianca were so accommodating, unfortunately just with timing and the mobility issues we had within our group we weren’t able to re-book. BUT when we return, we definitely will book through them! Thank you Elvia and Bianca! Ok enough of that rant. lol Solange and Oscar really stepped up and took care of that situation. Overall, I don’t have much left to say. Everything was super positive and amazing! I would definitely return!

Stayed at the Gran Ventana in May 2025 with my boyfriend both of us are in our 20’s. The resort is really nice and very clean always someone picking up glasses. It is also on the smaller side so it is less... crowded and quiet. Also really pleased with the buffet. However I recommend for any one of the same age or individuals looking to party that this resort is not for you. There is barely any activities and not a lot of socializing. I expected this coming into the resort but I was still a little disappointed!

This was our second trip to the VH Gran Ventana and we were not disappointed. Was really nice already being familiar with the resort and the staff. A short 20-25 minute drive from the airport is a great b...onus especially when traveling with a 3 1/2 year old. Upgraded to premium as we enjoy the private section on the beach and the vintage club is a really nice space to relax and get a drink. Pro's: Smaller resort so easy for kids and people with mobility issues. Well kept and clean Beach is cleaned/maintained daily Food quality and selection is good Con's Coffee at the breakfast buffet is not great and was sometimes challenging to get. Rooms are clean and adequate, but could use a refresh. As we were returning guests we expected a banner on our door but did not have one, but not a big deal. Resort technically has 2 pools, but the quirt pool is out of the way and does not seem to be used by many people. This resort is not a party resort and seems to attract seniors and families so keep this in mind when booking Overall I would recommend this resort and we're planning a third trip back.??