TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Long, detailed review ahead! I was very hesitant about booking this resort but I had to try something after my fav resort (Sunscape) closed. I (39) went on this trip with my mom (63). I want to preface th...is by saying that my mom has very limited mobility so our options were slim in terms of a smaller/centralized resort like Sunscape was. We booked a Jr Suite, poolview room and we ended up in room 405, which is in fact a pool view but relatively far from what she needs like an accessible pool entrance, lobby and restaurants. On our second day, they moved us to an accessible room in building 8 and we were placed in 816, which is directly beside the good stuff! Building 4 was great location wise for me, but for my mom, building 8 made more sense. It was simply closer to everything she needed. General info: - We booked a private transfer with CocoTours and they were delightful! It was about a 35 minute drive from the airport using a private transfer as they can weave in and out of traffic a bit faster. The shuttle bus that had people on it from our flight showed up about an hour and a half after we did! I was already in the pool and our people were just checking in. I have learned to always book private transfer and have done so on our last 10+ trips. Our driver (I didn't get his name) was delightful and lit up when he realized he was picking us up after also dropping us off. It was an odd sense of security in a way for me! - This was my first trip without my husband and was worried a bit. However, I didn't once feel unsafe or scared. I walked around a lot alone early in the morning and late at night and felt super comfortable. I do have big muscles so maybe people just knew not to f@ck with me haha. Kidding. - We booked a quick taxi ride to Jumbo with Rainier Antonio Alcequiez Linares and our driver was Felice! He was absolutely adorable and took great care of us. I was stressed going in that I wouldn't be able to find him when we came out (seeing as we didn't have cell service being off the resort) but he was standing at the exit waiting for us and snagged us up right away! I don't think he understood just how appreciative I was for that. The grounds: - The resort itself is beautiful to look at! It has that tropical vibe all around the pool, which I absolutely adore! The pool area being very "tropic" feeling was one of the selling features for me. - The gardeners kept the grounds fresh and beautiful! It's a perfectly small and well laid out resort, but I wish it was a tad more accessible for people that don't have great mobility. The buildings are definitely dated but they're pretty to look at with their pastel colours. - The pool has chips and cracks, so the pieces sitting on the bottom can hurt your feet. It could definitely use an overhaul. I feel like they should also connect the two pools and add a bridge to get across; no idea why this wasn't thought of during the design phase but I digress. Lolll - There were two "accessible" ways into the pool deck. One was a decently far walk to get to from the buildings and the other took you on the scenic route and not directly to the pool deck. There are plenty of spots to toss in a basic walk way, which definitely needs to be done for better access. I overheard quite a few elderly people with scooters/canes etc. say the same thing. - I found the buildings, stores and lobby to be well maintained though and always saw people cleaning up/painting etc. - I loved and I mean LOVED the little Market St. between PlayaBachata and Senator! It was honestly such a nice walk around the property and so darn convenient! They had everything you needed and it was ADORABLE. The rooms: - The rooms (non-updated ones) are very small, dark, "old" looking and not very welcoming. I love a nice room on vacation, but this was not it. The washroom in building 4 had a very old bathtub that was in rough shape and it was SO dark. There was no light in the shower, and it was surrounded by 3 solid walls (not glass), so it was extremely dark and "dingy" feeling. Our washroom in building 8 was better, as it didn't have a tub but still very dark and dingy feeling. - The A/C in the room is terrible as well. Again, I am sure the non-updated room had a lot to do with that. We started out in building 4 and our room was so humid that my suitcase was sweating and my clothes/sheets were damp after a few hours. I asked two other people in the same building and both said their A/C was the same, so I didn't bother complaining to the front desk as I'm sure they hear it all the time haha. The one individual I asked actually had her phone advise that water damage was detected due to the humidity in her room. The room in building 4 also didn't have a ceiling fan, which is wild to me! We were tempted to take a cab to buy a fan but thankfully our room in building 8 had a ceiling fan (but A/C was no better). - Our room in building 8 did not have an updated electrical outlet, so our plugs to charge our devices did not fit to charge. I want to clarify that the outlet accomodated a standard North American plug but the way the outlet was designed, my wall cube didn't fit inside the casing of the outlet. I ended up finding outlet extenders at PlayaBachata and they let me rent them for $3 a piece (refundable). You need a small wall cube to fit into the casing surrounding the outlet. Food: - The food was good. I have learned to set my expectations very low in the DR so I'm never disappointed. Nothing was above and beyond or memorable but I didn't go hungry! I did, however, find the buffet to be really repetitive, which I didn't mind as I knew what I liked and went to that. - As expected, from Monday to Wednesday, the buffet selection was much better than the weekend! I think they anticipate a higher guest rate on weekends so I always find the quality and quantity of options to be less than during the week. I assume it's to "save money". - If you don't like eggs for breakfast, you're kind of SOL for a typical breakfast. No sausages, no hashbrowns and the bacon is sparce; it's like you're in a literal version of Hunger Games trying to get some. I stuck with yogurt, fruit and pancakes and bacon when I felt like fighting. - We ate at the steakhouse and Italian and both were absolutely perfect. We did not have a single complaint about either restaurant...except for maybe I wanted more rolls at the steakhouse lolll I definitely could have asked for more, but I didn't. Drinks/service: - The pool bar wouldn't generally make anything that took time and sent you to the Sports Bar...again, wild to me but understandable. - They didn't have coconut rum or pineapple juice, which is generally my go to/only think I drink on vacation, so that was a bit disappointing! - The service in the buffet was amazing! Everyone was so kind and quick. We for sure had our favourite servers and always found ourselves sticking to them. - The service at the bars/front desk were okay. No one was overly polite but no one was rude. They were there to do their job and not to make friends haha. Wait. I lied. There were some lovely ladies (and one gentleman) at the coffee shop who were delightful. - Housekeeping was great! We absolutely loved our housekeepers and they kept our room in tip top shape! Always making cute little designs on the bed with my blanket that I brought from home and my mom's pajamas haha. Recap: This is an amazing "budget friendly" resort and I would absolutely go again! As I said, my expectations for the DR are generally set fairly low, so I have rarely been disappointed on a trip. The only "negative" thing I can really say from a personal standpoint was the condition of the room type that we booked. I am partial to a nice room on vacation and this simply was the "worst" room I have had while on vacation. I would absolutely spend the extra and book a better room (assuming I'm not going with my mom again). I'm so happy to have found this place, as it does give me Sunscape vibes. ????????

Rooms need to be updated, enjoyed the variety of restaurants on site We were grateful Isaira D WORKED WITH US TO GET US INTO A COUPLE OF THE RESTAURANTS AS THE HOTEL WAS VERY CROWDED AND STILL GETTING RES...ERVATIONS AT ONE OF THE ON-SITE RESTAURANTS WAS DIFFICULT. She worked with us and helped us get to the Italian and Japanese restaurant which we really appreciate it. Lovely beaches with shade

We spent 2 weeks at the Senator. We thoroughly enjoyed our time. Food, rooms, pool area and staff added to our experience. Shout out to the buffet staff and animation staff! We really appreciated how... friendly and approachable Skinny is and how he got the younger adults in our group involved!! Only suggestion would be to make sure all rooms have a ceiling fan for circulation. Thanks for another great vacation Senator!

Our 5th time back at the resort and had a great time once again. Food and staff are super friendly and a huge shoutout to skinny on the entertainment team. Always the life of the party, and look forward to... seeing him every year! We will be back next April again and looking forward to it!

Such a fun trip! Staff are super fun and engaging. Rooms are clean, food is good. Skinny is a super fun guy! His energy with the crowd is so playful a positive. Siri was also a very sweet young girl that ...has just started. Massage huts on the beach are an excellent experience. Will come back!!!!