Ocean Sand Golf & Beach Resort

Stayed here with friends for two weeks. Absolutely beautiful. Food first class. Staff friendly, helpful and happy. Seven restaurants to chose from, two of which did carry an extra supplement. Too be honest we didn't use these because we were completely satisfied and spoilt for choice with the others.

These included Mexican, Dominican, American Diner, Italian and two buffet restaurants.

Mike's tea and coffee - An absolute must!! We went every night after dinner for our coffees and believe me there were too many varieties to chose from and certainly too many to list! Mustn't forget the pastries either!! Scrummy!!

All in all a holiday that we will never forget.

OK! so one bad thing - Timeshare - If anyone reading this, decides to book remember the following - If reception send you to a side desk and you are invited to a VIP breakfast, don't go. It is to try and get you to cut out the middle man and buy holiday time at their hotels. If you miss this, you could get caught by a salesman when going into the buffet restaurant where you will be offered a free massage!! It is another way of trying to get you to give your time (at least 3 hours) to listen to one of their salesmen. It is called H10 Premium and the hotel are part of it and well aware what is going on!! We cottoned on very quickly so politely said 'No thank you' and we also warned others.

However, we had a great holiday, this happened on the first day so we were left to enjoy ourselves in peace! Only a minor moan out of a very positive review. Enjoy!

had a fantasstitc holiday here everything was good.Trips available where well worth the money, only just realised i hadnt written my review even though its a year late. Hotel was modern and spotless food was great. Beach was better than the one weve just returned from in mexico.Dominicans are colourful freindly people, weve been to the north but will always return to the south coast, we will return to the ocean blue in a couple of years. would say its suits the whole family from the young to the older generation theres something for everyone, how many hotels do you know with a bolling alley,casino, and adisco with swinging chairs and a lite up floor. It was fantastic cant say enouph good things about the place.

We flew out on the 26th may 2adults 2 children 12yrs and 9yrs both boy's, flight was good going out there loads of films to watch. Checking in at the hotel was smooth and quick, our bag's where taken to our room. The blocks of rooms are set in what they call villas there's 10 block's off villas having around 32 rooms in each all looking on to a little court yard with different theams and then the balcony looking on to the pool or gardens on one side or the quiet side looking on to an area with palm trees, not so good to look at but nice and quiet. The rooms were nice and big we had one room with two king size beds in, t.v with fridge with small frezzer compartment for ice stacked with water, pepsie 7up and beers, the bath room was allso big, double wash basins and shower over bath the bath was a double with jacuzi, kids loved it. we was in villa 8 room 2809 the room was kept clean with plenty of towels. Pool was also kept clean loads of beds small kid's pool and two main pool's one what they called the activity pool the other was the quiet pool although you could hear all what was going on in the other, the guy's at the pool bars kept the drinks going. ask for a Dori monkey it's coconut,banana,milk rum and a little chocolate sauce yumi. The food was great, we allways went to the buffet rest as the food there was good and also because our son has an eating disorder, the head chef called Mora cooked the food that we took with us for our son. this is alway's a worry for me when going away but not on this holiday, the staff were good alway's smileing and dancing. The other resturants were also good from what we was told we just stuck to the buff. Mikes coffe shop is fantastic all different kinds of coffes tea's with a choice of cakes the sort of thing you would see up the west end. The beach is like walking on powder, white and fine that goes on for miles with other hotels along the way. And yes there is beach towels so don't take any, take plenty sun cream and after sun cause if you buy it there you will be paying top $ ! Our two boy's, we did not see much off as they were either in the teen club ie. ping, pong air hockey, pool with around 10 flatscreen t.vs with wii cons it was like home from home for them, or they was on the little train bus that went up and down the complex ,brillent kept them out the sun too, they couldn't go off the complex so did not need to worry too much. We did not see any creepy crawly thing's , did get bit but nothing bad and that was during the day. This was our fist time to the Dominican and would most def go back and would go back to the ocean sands we only went for one week and wished we had gone for two. The only down side was the stall holders they allow to come into the hotel twice a week they can be rather pushy and play on the kid's to part with your money! But that's not a major prob just say you have no money.........Any questions i will try to help.....

First of all i can't believe some of the recent comments, my girlfriend can be quite fussy and even she loved the place, sorry kImberley

THE JOURNEY

We flew with thomson and i was pleasently suprised with the amount of leg room we had, seat back tv with good choice of films and entertainment, the food was suprisingly good too, that was after a few beers tho. The airport was really good they take your photo with 2 hula girls but we didn't look the best with 9.30 hours of flying, bags came quickly and we were off to the hoteL

RECEPTION

We were greeted with ice cold cocktails in reception, check in was fast bell boys took our bags straight up to the room, only visited reception to check in and out.

ROOM

We were in block 8 it was in the middle of the resort not too far from anything. The rooms were quite big we had 2 queen sized beds in ours and a view of the blue pool. Bathrooms were great, big jaccuzzi bath with his and hers sinks. Maids cleaned every day we gave her $5 and a note in broken spanish and she gave us beer.

FOOD

The food was great, the speciallity restaraunts were our favourite especially the italian. When eating at them it felt like you had been out of the resort at a privately owned restaraunt i half expected a bill at the end of it. The buffett restraunts are very good too, there's loads of variety. the scrambled eggs at breakfast were a little runny but it wasn't the end of the world.

POOLS & BEACH

Both pools were massive and not too deep either, we spent most of our time at the blue pool, which is a little quieter. The swim up bars were where we spent a lot of our time talking to other people around the hotel, a few times it turned into a little party. (no wasps either i was well impressed).

The beach was very nice and went on for miles on the left hand side there's a few stalls that are much cheaper then the hotel shop especially when you barter. Carribean sea was as warm as ever.

ENTERTAINMENT

The lobby bar seemed to be where everyone started and they have a live singer on until the theatre opens, some shows were good others wern't the best. It was the back to the lobby bar for a disco. Alexander the barman kept us entertained, he was a laugh a minute. Casino was fun but i lost as per usual.

TRIPS

We only went on 2. Outback Safari was our first they showed you the "real dom rep". It was fun and everyone ended up a little drunk. The 2nd one was saona island. They called it paradise island. It wasn't that nice to look at but we had such a laugh especially on the catamaran, lots and lots of rum flowing.

BAD POINTS

Vendors in the main square came twice a week, each of them had a sob story and they were very pushy.

Our rep wasn't the most helpful

On our 2nd week it rained quite a bit but thats not their fault

I'd definitely reccomend this place and wouldn't worry too much about the negative reviews, every one was friendly and helpful. I'd be happy to answer any questions

Can i say i have travelled all around the world and stayed in many hotels. Ocean Sands was a pleasant, fun, warming, very clean hotel, with plenty of food, activites, beautiful beach and wonderful reception area. I shall break down each category. But i would rate this hotel 9/10 and would most definitly recommend and return!

Reception/Check in : Very quick and easy. The guys give you plenty leaflets with a map of the hotel and excursions, if your not sure just ask questions where things are etc and they'll help greatly. The hotel guys will bring your suitcases up so dont worry it may take a little time.

Rooms: Lovely size, lovely and clean, the maids are fantastic! Great Jacuzzi in the bathroom! They do fill the fridge up everyday but didnt refill beers.

Pool/Beach: The pool has plenty of sun loungers to go around everyone. The pools are always clean, no dirty cups left around etc. The guys were always about cleaning. Swim up bar in both pools are very clean, good service. The beach is beautiful, the men were always out there cleaning anyway any bits in the sea. Again loads of sunloungers! Becareful can get very hot down there and with the breeze you cant feel yourself burning!

Nightly Entertainment: OUTSTANDING! The animation team ALWAYS put a good show on without a doubt. It could get quite hot in there but hey what do you exspect, theres loads of lights and people, once sat down and enjoying the show you soon cool off. If you dont like the shows, theres the lobby bar with live music sometimes very loud though in there, there's seating outside which is very relaxing. And then theres strike which is your bowling ally, 4 pool tables, table tennis and LOADS of Wii's upstairs. Then for you party people they've got a disco wave which opens at 11.30 till around 3ish which plays random music, some RnB & Hip Hop but mainly spanish music with a good beat.

Daily Entertainment : There wasnt much of this, depends how much you like to do in the day. They had kids club, but there was the odd volley ball, football or drinking game on whichh was good fun.

Food & Drink: There were some drinks that were awful, if you like vodka NO CHANCE! Its vile, they also dont serve baileys. They've got premium Jack Daniels. Lovely Cocktails, theere just sometimes a bit too generous with the amount of alcohol in the drink which can make it too strong. 3 Buffets, your 2 main ones have a different theme every night but still the food can kind of be repitive but hey it gets like that after two weeks. Beach Buffet is more a snack bar, Fries, Burgers, Hot Dogs etc. The Italian is BEAUTIFUL! Route 66 is not too bad, bit salty but still go there! Didnt try the Mexican or Spanish but heard they were lovely too. MIKES COFFEE BAR IS THE BEST!!! Rasberry ice tea, Latte's, Hot Chocolate! Iced Mocca! Cakes galore! Yummy we went everyday!!

NOTE: When we were at the hotel for a few days there was a Hip Hop Party going on and YES the music were loud and YES maybe the people were swearing, but people have to remmeber that those people had also paid for there holiday too and the hotel was big enough for people who didnt like it to move around! SO PLEASE if you read ANY reviews about people moaning about it DO NOT GET PUT OFF BY IT!! Our rep has informed us that Ocean Blue Sands have now dropt OUT of the contract and is NOT participating in the future.

SO YES I WOULD CERTAINTLY RETURN. BAD REVIEWS IGNORE THEM! PEOPLE ARE JUST MOANING FOR THE SAKE OF MOANING! ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY AT OCEAN SANDS... WE DID!

Great Time. Stayed for 7 days this time...last trip was only 4 days.

The best food ever... Go see the shows ....We went everynight never disappointed.

Then after the show, go into the Lobby for dancing and drinks....Always something to do or do nothing at all...Your choice......Beach volleball,,,,,Boating....Bannana Boat...

it just goes on and on.....I don't know about the other hotels but Ocean Blue has everything for everyone....Try it u won't be disappointed...

Sent our friends and they loved it as well.......

I just returned from a week at Ocean Blue on the 18th and have nothing but amazing things to say. I went with another friend for a girl's getaway. (Ladies-The DR is a great place to go if you want to enjoy the scenery!) We booked the privilege suites (and also booked through Apple, which made everything hassle free) and would highly recommed this for anyone because you get a lot for your money. This is the place to be if you know how to have a good time. I can't wait to go back again.

The staff was exceptional. They were fun to be around and really made the place enjoyable for us. Everyone from the entertainers, to the bartenders and the waiters were very friendly and a lot of fun. Spanish is the official language so don't be shy to try it with them, but they also speak English very well.

The resort was immaculate, the pools were well maintenced, we saw health inspectors on several occasions checking out various eating areas, and the staff constantly walked around the grounds picking up any debris and/or trash.

The food was better than expected for an all inclusive resort. The buffet was suprisingly good, I usually don't enjoy buffets but everything tasted great and it was kept hot and clean. All of the restaurants had excellent service and the food was good. The seafood restaurant on the beach was pretty windy but the food was great.

It rained a bit while we were there but there is so much to do that it didn't ruin our time. There are umbrellas provided in the room and a there is a trolley that will transport you around. The weather was beautiful other than the few storms.

The pool bar, sports bar and lobby bar are all great hangouts at various times of the day. The drinks are good, although the premium liquor goes quickly. (If you have a privilege suite, this is not as much of a problem though b/c you have access to a special lounge and bottles in your room). After 12 most people go to the disco and have a great time dancing. There are also some discos off the resort which are fun (Mangu and Areito were both good times) but the drinks are expensive so drink up at the resort!

We did the snorkeling excursion with the sharks and sting rays and loved it. Definitely worth the money, the staff on the boat was also amazing and you get to spend time swimming in the ocean and drinking after you snorkel.

I found that this resort is for anyone who wants to have fun. There is plenty to do and we never got bored, I can't wait to go back and do the things we didn't get around to doing while we were there. On our plane ride home we were grinning ear to ear while others were complaining so choose carefully, but I have no reservations in recommending this hotel for others.

we have just come back from a 2 week stay here it was excellent the staff were freindly the food was excellent so much to choose from you have the buffet the dominican the italian,mexcican,route 66 the american diner and also mikes coffee shop which is lovley .the rooms were large with big jaqusie baths we tiped the maid every few days and are rooms were made up in the morning with the fridge re stocked fully everyday room service was good and no extra charge from 10am til 10pm.the shows were very good like going to the theatre.the pools were lovely and warm and not salty there were to pools the blue side and the yellow side the yellow is the busier side with more going on.the beach and the sea was amazing soft white sand and clear blue sea.we went on a few trips which we booked of the beach you can hagle with them my husband and two children went parasailing which cost $90 and we went on the boogie cars that was $180 for four of us .we booked a trip through our rep thomas cook on a mega truk that was very good out all day that was $97 adults $50 child well worth it dinner included go to a lvely beach and go horse riding in to the mountains and lots more this hotel was excellent and i only have good things to say i read peoples veiws b4 i went and the negative ones i can not understand where they get them from unless they just wanted to moan.i am 33 my husband 42 and two children 12 and 10 will def go back any questions please ask debbie

we loved it so much that we booked it again and taking some friends and family. People there are great and love to have fun, Especially Maria.n the bartenders.We should be there 05/15/09 by noon..Celebrating our 7 year wedding anniversary.

This was our 4th trip to Dominican Republic and 1st time to Punta Cana (having previously always been to Puerto Plata). We loved it here. It is true that the beach at Punta Cana is to die for, better than that of the north of the island. The countryside however, is less dramatic than the north, less hills and less forrestry.

The hotel is very large with wide walkways lined by palm trees but suprisingly it never seams busy. There are 2 huge pools which sit between the Ocean Sand and Ocean Blue hotel bedrooms but we never quite worked out the difference between the two hotels as the amenities are avaiable to both. We (hubby, me and 2 boys 10 &12) stayed at the Ocean Sand.

There is nothing bad to be said about this resort. You are greeted warmly on arrival, the staff are always amenable and friendly and the service is of an excellent standard. Unlike other hotels this really is an all inclusive: We had found on previous trips to Dom Rep that bar staff were looking for tips and would sometime ignor childrens so as to secure a tip from an adult - not so here. Often children were served before adults at a busy bar.

Cleanliness of the rooms was excellent, no problems of ants or other bugs. The towel service (in rooms) was on some days a little slow - they collect all soiled towels in the morning and replace later in the day after washing them. The pool towels were of an excellent quality and changed as often as you needed.

The beach facilities were excellent: Permanant shaded frames are erected on the beach and were welcome when the sun was high. The water sports were freely accessible.

The restaurants were great however you are so spoiled by the choice and quality of the buffet that you didnt need the additional restaurants, although they added some variety to the scenery. The food catered for all tastes and was of always of an excellent standard.

We spashed out and had a session with the resident photographers - Wow ! the results were amazing. Forget taking your camera with you. If you want some holiday snaps to remember take some simple matching outfits, book a session for the second week when you have a tan (ask for Sabrina - she is the best!) and be in awe of the results.

Overall - A wonderful relaxing holiday in a beautiful friendly country. We have already booked again for next year - so Please Ocean Sand - keep doing what you do best and we look forward to seeing you in 2010.

We booked our holiday last year and had been checking the reviews which to0 be honest at the start of the year were so horrendous we seriously were thinking of cutting our loses and cancelling.

However we simply fell in love with this resort and I can only think that the reviews that were written were some kind of slur campaign because I cannot believe they stayed at this resort. We stayed for 2 weeks with our children ages 8 and 5 and enjoyed every moment. The weather was fantastic and the hotel offers everything you need. The layout really works well as we tend not to leave the hotel much and the way the restaurants are designed around a villiage square you felt that you were going out for the evening which is great. The food is fantastic, we tried some of the a la cartes for a change where it was nice to be waited on but the buffet offered so much choice we ate there a lot. We tended to have lunch at the beach buffet where the view is amazing and the beach is just superb. We even watched a couple of weddings at the hotel that were held on the beach which looked so lovely all laid out.

Our room was very spacious, some of the family rooms we have stayed in before have been cramped. It was kept beautifully clean and although not in anyway luxurious it was more than satisfying and I consider myself to be quite picky. We were slightly dissappointed not to be over looking the pool but decided not to move and we thought it would be much quieter facing the back which it definately was. We were in villa 8 which was ideal for us.

We thought the staff were very friendly and service was excellent. We tend not to use kids clubs but my five year old daughter loved the mini disco in the evening. We watched the shows most nights and in two weeks there was only one repeated show. I think the entertainment team worked really hard and the production values of the shows especially the costumes were excellent.

The kids loved having thier photos done with the animals that come round the swimming pool which was an ideal temperature. I have been to many hot places where the pools are so cold it's not enjoyable, this was perfect and very clean.The Carribean Festival trip wher you can snorkel with sharks and stingrays was a definate highlight.

Resort was amazing! Great food, always a selection, fresh and tasty. Rooms clean - we were in Villa 8. Pool and beach were accessible and fun. Staff in resort always friendly, we tipped bar/waiters every so often and they were always happy to recieve it - it was not expected. David the bartender at the beach bar was great!! Gasolina!! Highly recommend the resort and Punta Cana to anyone.

My husband and I stayed at the Ocean sands for 1 week and had an amazing vacation!

Check in/check out: We had no difficulties. It was very quick and easy.

Rooms: We had requested a pool side room on the 3rd floor through our travel agent and we received this in block 9. It was the perfect location. Close to pools and the beach. The room was very clean. We had no complaints with the room. The jaccuzi tub was a nice touch. Housekeeping was excellent and we were always very excited to see the towel art!

Pools: Two very large pools. Pools were clean and warm. Always pool chairs available. The bartender at the quiet pool was awesome! Ask for his special drink! My husband loved it!

Beach: AMAZING! The softest sand we have ever seen. Lots of beach chairs available. We really enjoyed going for walks on the beach!

Food: We enjoyed both the buffet and the restaurants. The buffet had a wide variety of food for both my husband and I. I loved the crepes and my husband loved the Japenese grill. We were a bit unsure how it would work with not having reservations for the restaurants but it was great! We never had to wait to get in and we went a total of 4 times. We really enjoyed Route 66 and the Italian restaurant; the mexican was o.k.. Mike's coffee house was great. Enjoyed the drinks and the atmosphere.

Internet: Pay the worker in american dollars! If you pay in pesos he pockets the money and makes you use his computer which is very slow and won't let you open up hotmail.

Shopping: We took a taxi to Punta Cana (cost $10) to go to the market. The vendors are VERY pushy. Don't feel bad when bartering if you offer a much lower price. We quickly learned that they start extremely high. Counteroffer with about 1/3 the price. There is also a market on the beach. The beach and town market had the same items and we were able to get the same prices. Don't feel you need to go into town to shop.

Photographer: As I am 7 months pregnant, my husband and I decided to book with a photographer to take prenatal pictures. We booked with Damian and he took absolutely AMAZING pictures (better than our wedding photos!). We would recommed him to everyone!

Overall this was an excellent resort and we had a fantastic time :)

We spent a week at the Ocean Sand & Blue resort in Punta Cana in April with our parents and brother and his family of 6. Everyone had a fantastic time.

The teenages had lots to do with the bowling alley, disco, all night sports bar, beach sports and pool. We all had a lot of food choices with the restaurants. There is a kids program as well although our kids were too old to try it out. We always think that the buffet is the last choice but the food at this buffet was always fresh and made right there for you. None of us had any hint of an upset stomach and we all ate everything that was offered...although we did stay away from the salads with mayo. The beach restaurant is great at lunch. It's close to the beach and pool and there is no need to get out of your bathing suit to eat. You can also pack a plate and eat at the beach.

The sun is really strong so pack lots of sunscreen. There are lots of spots on the beach for shade but I recommend that you get up no later then 6:30 am to save a spot with your towels to make sure.

Buildings 3, 4, 8 & 9 are on either side of the pool.and are closest to the action so the best choices. Make sure you get a room that faces the pool. The opposite side of 7, 8 & 9 faces an empty lot so the view is awful.

We didn't see a lot of value in the Prestige premium so I wouldn't bother paying the extra price unless you want a robe and slippers in the room and the beach restaurant for breakfast.

We loved the resort and would definitely go back.

Simply amazing! 5+ Stars - Wow, what a trip! My wife and I recently got married at the Ocean Sand Resort (by H10) in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in January 2009. We were there for two weeks and all of our guests were there for the first week to attend our beach wedding.

Everything went perfectly, great staff, great rooms, great restaurants and of course great service! We had approximately 28 guests attend our wedding and each and everyone had nothing but possitive words to say about this resort. In fact, they all said that they would come back with their family and friends.

What a resort!! There was something for everyone, kids, seniors, young at heart etc. Lots of restaurants, lot's of activities, lots of bars, huge pools, great beach etc. If you are looking for a great family escape or a romantic getaway for 2, the Ocean San Resort is the way to go! Trust me, as I am the owner and webmaster of a online travel website called -- so I know a little bit about the travel industry and what to look out for!

You will not be disappointed and for those negative reviews about this resort, well all I can say is DO-NOT let other peoples negativity bring you down as there will ALWAYS be people out there that would in their minds have a bad experience and will flood review sites with their negativity. Most of the times it's from the competition (other resorts) that are acting as guests and trying to scare you away from one resort and write good reviews about their own resort. Trust me, I've seen it and have been told by actual resort staff that they do this.

The bottom line is this, always trust trust your instincts and not others! The best kind of reviews is word of mouth from friends and family that have been at the resorts themselves. That way it is a TRUE review!! Saying that, the Oceans Sand resort in Punta Cana, Dominican is a wonderful resort for all ages and one of the best ones in the Dominican Republic!

Thanks for taking the time to read my review!

Jerry

Webmaster --

We just came back from a week there and hotel is very nice; personnel is kind and rooms clean and big.

Beach is wonderful even if is the tipical Dominican situation where you find tenth of Resorts following each other...by the way all of them are built in a way they're nicely confused with Plams Woods and natuaral seightseing.

Finally food was excellent both for typical and international cuisine.

Animation is very limited (which makes us happy by the way).

Globally judgement is an 9/10 grade especially if you can find them through low cost toruships --> balance price vs quality was absolutely great

We have just spent the most fabulous two weeks at the ocean sands/blue hotel. The staff are so friendly from the moment you arrive and right through your stay. The food in the buffet was extensive and of a high standard. A little disappointed in the Italians, but the coffee shop is a real winner. The rooms need to be up dated but as we spent so little time in them that really did not matter. Hotel is clean, friendly and the children who aged from 8 to 14 had a great time.

It was our senior trip for our highschool, there was around 40 of us, we all had the time of our lives and we wish everyday we were back at ocean blue sand golf and beach resort. The bartenders are the coolest guys. If you go, find jose, he can pour 20 shots in under 10 seconds, with limes and salt ready. also go to the cigar shop by the main lobby bar and talk to dr. mamawana, he is the man, friendliest guy ever. I recommend this to anyone 18 or over.

This was our first trip to the Dominican Republic and I cannot wait to go back. This resort was top notch. Clean, excellent staff, wonderful food. My husband has a hard time relaxing and he was totally relaxed and loved it also. I may take my daughter back in June. I wouldn't have known how wonderful this resort is without my travel agent and she's been there personally. Loved, loved, loved it!!!!

We stayed at Ocean Sands for a week and we had a great time!

Pools

The pools are awesome! Very big, awesome swim-up bars! Loungers are very comfy and relaxing and you can easily curl up with a good magazine and read peacefully! They are very clean! Other reviews I read said they are full of lemon slices, fruit and other things you would find in drinks, but they were clearly making this up. The employee's start @ 6:00AM and clean the pool every morning. Sometimes, in the shallow ends, there was a little bit of sand from the beach, but when you got to your knees, there was no more sand to be found, and I didn't see as much as a twig once you got past your waist.

There are jacuzzi's, and each pool has pool has 2, although they are not hot water jacuzzi's, they are still slightly warmer than the regular pools and they have jets, but I don't think would last a second if they were hot water jacuzzi's. i would get wayyyyyyy too hot.

Our room

Our room was in Villa 9, room 9223 facing the garden. Since they were expanding the hotel, the garden waas full of cut-down palm trees, but it probably would have been nice if they weren't doing work on it. Our view almost caused us to move rooms but it is 500 extra $ so we ended up staying the entire trip in that room. On the bright side, it was very clean and the maid will always promptly clean the room. It was very quiet, we could hear crickets @ night, our bathroom was clean, great TV channels like Animal Planet and Nickelodeon. We were talking to this lady, who had a pool view, and she said it always feels like you are missing something, because they are always playing games and having competitions by the pool so it feels like you have to be there!

Food

The food was overall very good. There was a Mexican restaurant, an Italian restaurant, a Coffee house, a Sports bar, a Seafood restaurant, an American restaurant, a Beach bar/buffet and the Main buffet. The Mexican restaurant, Margarita, is not the greatest. It is very colourful and cheerful and made me feel happy, but the food was not the best. The meal that me and my dad had was good, but my mom's, my sister's and my brother's meal wasn't thta good. The Overtime Sports Bar allows smoking, and there is lots of second-hand smoke, so I definetly do NOT recommend it for children. Mike's Coffee House.......the best coffee you will EVER taste! Great desserts and I highly recommend the frappaccino! You can only get one there. The American restaurant, Route 66, is decorated like a diner, with red booths, statues of famous stars like Elvis Presley and black and white pictures of Route 66. I found it very cool, although the food was probably the worst there- at least my meal wasn't good. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it. So if you go to Route 66, I don't recommend the chicken fingers and buffalo sauce. There is hardly any chicken in the fingers! There are only 2 restaurants open for breakfast and lunch and supper and those are the 2 buffets. The rest of the restaurant's open @ 6:30. The Main Buffet has 2 parts: a formal more quiet side, where the walls are painted lime green, and a casual, loud, more lively side where the walls are painted a peachy-orange with the buffet area in the middle of them. Our family seemed to like the more casual side the best. Every night they had pasta and you can have it any way you like. In the morning's and afternoon's, there is freshly squeezed fruit juice and @ night they take your order for drinks. There is also a theme evry night like Gala, Indian, Salsa, Chinese.....they had every theme you can think of, so be sure to come to the Main Buffet sometimes for supper. The Beach Bar/Buffet is also open for breakfast and lunch. Personally, I like the Main Buffet better than the Beach Buffet , but the Beach Buffet is the only place you can pop in all wet, wrapped in a towel, wearing bathing suits, and it has pretty much the same food. I also like this place because it has a view of the ocean and the pool.

Some of the fancier restaurants require the men to wear long pants- they can't just pop in wearing a t-shirt and shorts.

Entertainment

The entertainment is good. A lot of the nights, it is a children's program run by a girl named Bella in the theater, but sometimes there are musicals and singing and magic shows and every Saturday night, Bella hosts a fashion show fro the kids and it was really fun to watch and do. Make sure if you are going to put your child in the fashion show that you have a video camera to get it all on tape.

The Beach

The beach was THE best part of the vacation. I can't complain of anything. Clear, turkoise water, soft, white sand and wonderful loungers each with a canopy, and a bar right there with games, and music and the COOLEST thing about the beach was we could see a 100 year old shipwreck crshed up against a rock, really far out and a catamaran( a Sailboat) can take you out to see it. It had masts and every thing, it looked like a real pirate boat. It was really cool! If you go down the beach to the left, you will come to little stores where you can buy the best things for the greatest prices. You can even get your hair braided, Dominican Republic style! Just be careful to not let the sales people bribe you. They are VERY pushy. All you need is a firm "no" to let them know you're not interested. If you go down REALLY far, past your hotel, past the stores- you'll find an old, bent palm tree, that is very secure (so don't be afraid it will fall) and you can sit on it, and it makes beautiful, wonderful pictures. You have GOT to find that tree!

It was a great vacation and I highly recommend it for every age!!!!!!!

my husband and I just returned from a 7 day stay at Ocean Sand resort in Punta Cana. (mar 13-20th, 2009, flew from Toronto Canada). I can't say enough good things. We registered for Privelege services, a little extra but those extras go a long way. We were in Villa 6, 3rd floor. close to the ocean and yet the pool was right outside our villa. The buffets and restaurants were great, always something new yet nothing unheard of. The weather was great. Time share guy tried dealing with us once and we said no and that was it, never saw them again. The vendors come onto the resort just be ware to barter barter barter, the vendors on the beach are better to deal with. The beach is amazing, walk hours in either direction and just gorgeous. The staff was great, there never seemed to be an issue with language we always tried to use spanish but my husband being french was great. Always something to do yet if you want to sit back and do nothing you can do that too.

we tried our hand at the casino and actually left ahead... yeah I won!!! we wanted to renew our vows but lack of communication with us and with staff left us all in limbo, so we had the photographer take great pics of us and bought some of their photos. Off resort excursions were great. We went deep sea fishing caught nothing but saw whales and well that was great in my book. I love the water. We checked out the village and transition thru the airport was great, no handlers trying to help us out people were friendly. I have been to Dominican twice, and this was my first trip to punta cana and i can't wait to go again. I would go to Punta Cana, Ocean Sand resort again. When are we leaving?

if you are interested in more info and want to see pics, please let me know, i am willing to share our experience.

My Family of 4 adults age range from 24-78 stayed at this resort from Feb 25- Mar 11. It was our third time in Punta Cana. And to the Ocean Sand hotel Loved everything about Ocean Blue & Sand same resort different travel agents. We travelled with First Choice from Manchester after a 2 hour delay and a nine hour flight. The staff were great, the food was delicious, the grounds were beautiful, there was always something fun going on and the beach and sea was gorgeous. This hotel is everything you would expect and more!

Champagne for breakfast! started our day and Premier drinks all day if you ask for them you get them. The Stage shows where very good Grease and Circus and Magic show are first class We would definitely recommend this resort to anyone and would go back any day for our forth time. The only downside to it was leaving at the end of the 2 week!

Saona Island...Breath taking. Speed boat there, star fish great bbq, relaxing beach, massages available, a few venders walking around, all your food and drinks included, catamaran boat back. An early start and 2-3 hour trip You go by bus to the ocean location to start its along day till you get back to the hotel but worth it

My husband and I stayed at this resort from Feb 22- Mar 1.It was our third time in Punta Cana. Loved everything about Ocean Blue & Sand. The staff were great, the food was delicious, the grounds were beautiful, there was always something fun going on and the beach was gorgeous. We would definitely recommend this resort to anyone and would go back any day. The only downside to it was leaving at the end of the week!

This hotel is everything you would expect and more!

Champagne for breakfast! started our day, and Dirty Monkeys ended our evenings!

Maid service was great, but we left treats and money every day. She was in our room by 8am. The time share people were there as mentioned in other reports, we just said no thanks and they left us alone. and the walkway is very slippery when wet!! walk slow!

My husband & I stayed at the Ocean Sand from 1/17-1/24/09, with our 3 children & we loved it!. The food was great, so many restaurants to choose from, there are only 2 buffet restaurants not 3 as advertised. The Tortuga Buffet is great, different dinners every night & very good!.Favorite meal is breakfast so much to choose from. Ok to have ice in your drinks & drink their bottled water although it does taste like tap water it's safe to drink. Staff very friendly, english not too many of the waitors understand but if you speak Italian it's a bonus cause they do understand it more then english & speak it too.Kids club is great, Isabella there is wonderful with the kids my kids loved her, she gave them cotton candy & popcorn every day!.The rooms are made up late, don't plan on going to your room before 4p.m.We stayed in villa 9 great location close to both pools & beach. When you check in ask which villa you're in, the closest to the beach & pools are 4, 7,8,9. They will switch you if they have a room available in that section, they did for us with no questions.No need to purchase priviledge package, it's just a rip off, the standard rooms are basically the same & also very nice. The beach is beautiful !.

Hotel is immaculate & very clean. Can't wait to go back!!

There were 54 in our group. We where there Feb 28 - March 7, 2009. Loved the swim up bar. Everything was super, except avoid the lobster dinner on the beach, bad service bad food at best a $15 dinner. All other food fantastic. What a beautiful beach. Take a walk on the beach, it is worth it. If the ladies want their hair braided see Carolyn on the beach flea market, half the cost and a great job. The casino is small. We used Apple and Petra was our customer service person from Apple. What a great person. She gave us a lot of good information and advice. The guys had a great trip to the cigar factory, the trip is free and the prices on the cigars are great.

My husband and i went to Punta Cana and stayed at Ocean Blue from feb 22-march 1st. we love every minute if it. The staff was great and made us feel comfortable at all times. The animation team was great, fun and very creative. The food was really good and they had a good variety everyday. We regret coming back to this weather in NY especially after having clear skies, sunny days, and a nice beach.

Just got back from first visit in the dominican, and loved every minute of it. I could only say that this resort was by far the best resort for our group. We arrived with a group of 29 for a wedding. Bride and Groom were married 5ft from ocean, not a cloud in the sky high of 31 and first day without the wind. It was truely the best day ever. Our first 3 days were sunny periods with showers on and off. Staff on the resort made our days and evening very memorable. If visiting ocean blue, be sure to ask for alex, he tends to pop up every where and I swear he works 24/7. His favourite saying is "who let the dogs out!" Everyone who worked there were very helpful.. My husband and I took a long walk down the beach to check other resorts out and came to the conclusion that ocean sands was the best... It is a very busy, upbeat and absolutely exciting with lots of fun loving people. This resort would not be suitable for just a couple on a honeymoon or just there to relax, it is a very busy and loud resort. By loud, I mean that there seem to be lots of families and lots of groups which was perfect for us... I can't say more about this resort, from our room (villa 9), to food, drinks, market on the beach it was the best. If you need more info and any tips please email me glad to hear from you kbund66@rogers.com

We stayed at the Ocean Sand resort for a week in January. It was our first trip to Dominican, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We had our 3 sons aged 10, 10 and 12 with us, and they loved it too. The room was big, had a nice balcony that overlooked the pool, roomy bathroom and was kept clean .

The food was great - kids loved the crepe station in the main buffet and the buffet at the beach was a daily visit. Tried all the restaurants except the ones you pay for - all really good. The weather was great - rained twice, but for a half an hour one day and 10 minutes another - then beautifully sunny again. Had rain during the night a couple times too.

Pools were amazing. Very clean, spacious, warm. Beach was great - such a nice breeze when laying by the water. We had fun visiting the market beside the resort - the kids enjoyed watching us barter.

Our maid was exceptional - very friendly and we left her little gifts and tips daily.

All staff in the buffet were very friendly and prompt with clearing plates, asking you for drink orders etc. Their understanding of english was not the best - but they tried.

We have no complaints and will be returning customers.(but not soon enough!)

I'm writing this from a family's point of view. My husband and I have been to the Caribbean many times without our children, the last resort being Sandals Grande St. Lucian in St. Lucia. This was the first trip bringing our children ages 5 and 8. This is definately a family resort, I couldn't believe the number of children that were there. Although the children ranged through all ages, I would say that the majority were between age 6 and 12. The supervised children's club took children age 4 and up. So if you are bringing preschoolers, there won't be anywhere you can drop them off.

My first tip is try to sit at the front of the bus that takes you to the resort. This way you can be first to head to the reception which is to the right behind tall glass doors. The Lobby is open air except where the reception is. Make sure you have your passports and hotel reservation handy, also all members of your party must be present to get the bracelets on. We were put in building 9, with our view facing the back of the resort, not a pretty view, but QUIET!Which was good for sleeping. Building 9 was perfect for being near the pools, beach, kids club and beach grill. We had tonnes of space in our room and did not feel squished.

The kids club is open from 9:45am to 12:30, and from 3pm to 6pm. We only used the club in the afternoon because our kids loved playing on the beach. They made lots of friends and built lots of sand castles and played in the water, totally entertaining themselves. We were on the beach by 9:30am every morning. There is a guy that comes around with water bottles each day. Another tip is bring more than 30 SPF for the kids. Despite putting 30SPF waterproof on our children they got badly burned the first 2 days. They wore t-shirts for protection over their swimsuits. We use 30SPF at home and never have had a problem. I would reccommend 45 or 50SPF for their tender while skin. (Adults were fine with 15SPF).

The kids went euro bungee jumping at the resort and we paid $15 for both of them. They were able to jump until they got tired and wanted down (15minutes?). We also did the banana boat ride for $20 for 4 of us. They wanted $40 at the start...always bargain!!

Now, for the kids club...Bella is the young woman in charge. She has amazing energy!! She told us that she works from 9:30am till almost 11pm. She dances in the entertainment at night after she is done with the children. Parents need to sign their kids in when they go to the club and say where they can be reached. The clubhouse itself is cute. They have two tv's and craft tables and games. The biggest hit is the popcorn machine and the cotton candy machine in which the kids can eat from. Once a number of kids have arrived Bella (and her two helpers) often take them to the pool for some games. The kids can win prizes which are then presented at the kids mini disco at 8pm in the Theatre. My daughter won extra free bowling games for the family, a t-shirt, and a medal! The games are a bit harder for the 4 and 5 year olds as some of the games are in the pool. Make sure you bring floaties for any child that can't swim yet. There is also a playground at the kids club. Bella will put a sign on the kids club door to say where the kids are if you come when no one's there. Bella also took the kids for icecream and I saw them have popsicles one day as well. Saturday was a big party day in the afternoon, the kids played indoor games and had tonnes of candy! The crafts were really neat too! We were told by our children numerous times through the week that we were picking them up too early, they were having too much fun!

At night at the mini disco for kids was a time of singing and dancing that the parents could watch. There were games as well to participate in...more prizes. The show for the kids at night ended by 9pm. Our kids went promptly to sleep after this!!!

The Teen club was cool, our older daughter enjoyed playing the wii's. I think there were five or six of them. There always was a movie going on up there. ( the teen club is above Strike) I saw pop being put out for the kids. The kids also have there own fooseball table and air hockey table.

Another tip...we got the girls hair braided at the resort...again bargain with them...2 for $75, one half head the other whole head. This was soooo easy to take care of. Each day the kids were hosed off in the shower and then off to dinner for 6:30pm. No fussing with brushing and drying their hair...it was AWESOME!! Also there are NO lineups for the a la cartes or buffet at 6:30pm...just walk in and you are served!

We did one excursion with the kids, the Caribbean Festival which swims with the stingrays and sharks and snorkels. My children loved that. I, unfortunately, was unable to go last minute do to feeing sick( we brought Cipro with us and it worked magic). The kids did not get sick from the food and they ate lots of salad and fresh fruit. My husband did not get sick either.

It was our experience that while we were there that the resort was full of families and couples who were in the age of 30+. Not a lot of younger college age people. I'm sure that demograghics do change week to week however, that was our observation. We found the resort a perfect fit for our family. We, adults got some alone time, and the kids were entertained and safe. Bella and her staff can be a little shy at first (not aloof) but they truly do a great job with the kids, especially once they get to know them. So, if you are pondering going to this place with the kids and don't need them to be looked after 24/7 (basically nannyed), then we would reccommend it. We as adults had no complaints about the resort, rooms, food or service(although service was the only thing not as good as at the Sandals Resorts).

One last tip...there are photographers on the beach daily from the resort. LET THEM take your pictures, it is free and you can go check them out at the photo shop on the resort. The pictures are phenominal, we ordered some! Also something that is not widely known is that you can book these photographers for an hour and have them take pictures of you all over the resort, clothing changes and all, as long as you agree to buy$100 worth of pictures...so if you forget your camera...you'll still end up with the most amazing pictures. We had both Sofia and Gustav take ours. We highly reccomend them and this resort!

I'll be concise, my girlfriend and i came here and loved it (23, 24 yr olds)

beach is amazing, great shopping on the beach NEXT to the resort so if you don't want to go you wont be bothered, maybe the odd para sailing guy will come by and ask

the pools are huge and clean, with 2 swim up bars

the food is fantastic, there are 4 free a la cartes and you can go as many times as you want

there is a free coffee house better than starbucks and a sports bar too

the buffet food is also great

the rooms are clean and nice, the balconies are nice to sit on if you get a room facing into the resort (we did), some of the furniture is a bit old but its still fine.

the jeep safari trip was about 110CDN and it was worth every penny!

i would return in a heartbeat!

- there didn't seem to be many singles there, so if thats what your after than maybe this place isn't for you.

AWESOME!!!! The place was clean, the food was great and the staff was very helpful and friendly. The only things that might be improved upon are:

1) They need more places for adults to hang out and have a comfortable, relaxing cocktail after dark. The lobby is a great place but has limited seating. The patio chairs outside a very uncomfortable.

2) More bar tenders.

Other than those minor problems it was a great two weeks and I can't wait to go back again. The beach is spectacular. And there is a golf course 5 minutes away from the resort, that will come a pick you up for nothing.

My experience for this resort was great. I enjoyed every minute! The entertainment was good, but they all were very friendly and welcoming which was nice. They gave plenty of opertunity for people to win prizes. Food I was very good, lots of variety. The thing i liked the most was the fact after the shows there was more time for entertainment in the lobby with live singer and lots and lots of dancing with your friends and entertainment workers. Disco in my opinion was excellent. They placed good music, lots of variety.

The 2 negitive things were that it took a long time to get our hotel keys and register in. and the slow service at one of the buffets.

The Ocean Sand resort was just what we expected! Beautiful, clean and the lay out was perfect!

We witnessed 4 wedding while we were there and the happy look of these brides tells the story of the hotel.

Fantastic meals and everything you could ever want. If you couldnt find it on the well groomed buffet you were sure to find it at the restaruants on site which were all inclusive exept one.

Staff were more than helpful considering the pressure of constantly being busy.

We had Champaine and glasses delivered to our room along with our friends because we were celebrating a special occasion. This was a surprise to us all.

Hats off to the Signiture reps who were stationed at the entrance to villa 9 (which was ours) Gave us the best advice and went that extra mile to make us happy. These two reps were there all day for the needs of us who booked with signiture vacations. Great guys and they really know their jobs.

The lobby bar has the best coffee! (and Mikes of course)

The photographers.... unreal how they do their job. Orlando, wow how can i thank you for the beautiful beach photos you took of my family. This is how it works. You book the photographer and it costs you nothing until you see the pictures and you pick which ones you want. How could you go wrong? You take what you want there is no pressure. They take their time and do such a good job.If you dont like any then it costs you nothing.

Beautiful beach and you can go and have fun at the cheepie cheepie shops set up as a mini mall right on the beach beside the resort. There is about 20 separate stalls you can walk in and look around. We went everyday it was fun.

If you walk down the beach towards the right you will come to another beach mini mall and it has a small town behind it you can go to. If your too tired to walk back just take a cab or a water taxi. This was also alot of fun and you could see all the hotels along the way.

Took the funnest tour ever, Outback Safari, good meal, good entertainment, good drinks and a stop at a beautiful beach to go boogie boarding, a dominican farm (buy the coconut oil your skin in like silk) and you see the country side and get we informed about the people.

Saona Island...Breath taking. Speed boat there, great bbq,relaxing beach,massages available, a few venders walking around, all your drinks included, catamaran boat back. You go by bus to the ocean location to start and on the way there you go through many sugar cane fields and you see the small viliages of people that work them. Very interesting

Deep sea fishing was another tour and it was great!

Snorkling we just went by water taxi to the location and the guide(captain) jumped right in with us.

This hotel is just what the dr. ordered to get away from it all. People that can sit down and complain about it need to stay home and shovel some more snow while we are sipping champaine at the breakfast buffet and planning our day in the sun, clean ocean air and no phones. Would ,and will recommend this hotel to friends or family.

great service. rooms could be updated but spacious and well kept. fantastic location lots to do if you want to or just relax. lots of loungers on the beach no problems getting one whatever time of day you decide to go. immaculate grounds and public areas. the on site shop is very expensive $30 for sun cream !! ( i paid £3-00 for the same one in u.k. )there were problems with cockroaches coming from the airvent in the bathroom and an incident involving a baby llizard in the bathroom sink !!!

the outback safari trip was quite good we visited a school and took pens pencils books etc as gifts. we also took a few toys for the children of a small village we visited where they made mama juana and coconut oil. food good . drinks disappointing not many known brands. mike's coffee house excellent teas coffees and cakes and pastries. pool areas nice, clean lots of loungers. we went for 2 weeks and had a great time.

We have never been to an all-inclusive resort before, so were intrigued as to what to expect - I thought I would have problems with the buffet food. I have to say that there was nothing to worry about, it is a lovely welcoming resort and a good place to just chill for a week. The restaurants (didn't like the Mexican (but not really a fan of Mexican food, and didn't think the Italian was up to much),but the Dominican, American, Breakfast Buffet Restaurant and Mikes Coffee Bar where really nice. I saw one insect in our room, which I think for a Carribean resort was pretty good. The rooms were clean and the towels changed daily. We also took advantage of the room service which runs from most of the day and evening - breakfast and booze not included.

The pools were lovely and so was the beach. We only went on one trip, The Outback Safari which was nice, but generally I thought the trips were very expensive.

Whilst this is an all-inclusive resort, you do need money (get lots of $1) for tipping in the Restaurants (not the Buffet Restaurant). Also, you have to pay for your wine in the Italian restaurant which we didn't know beforehand.

In all a very lovely break. Be warned the locals and resort are out to get you to spend as much additional cash as they can. Do not think that people in the lobby are just being friendly, they are probably trying to sell you the H10 Hotel timeshares.

My husband and I and another couple made our first trip to Punta Cana and it definitely will not be our last. The hotel was great with good food, plenty of drink, friendly staff, clean rooms and wonderful pool and beach areas. The shopping on site was fun but bartering with the locals is more interesting and is always a great time. There was always something to do. Kudos to Carlos and the entertainment staff....great shows and fun all the time. The hotel was very family oriented and we all plan on making the next trip a family vacation.

We did two off site excursions - The Outback Jungle Safari was incredible and I would highly recommend it to anyone (they will except school supplies for the area children if interested). The second was the Marinarium - snorkeling is great if you want to race and not see anything. Swimming with sting rays and sharks was cool but the best part was the party boat after that was all done.

We met lots of great people from the US, UK and Canada. Thanks Pennsylvania for making us feel like family. Can't wait to go back!!!!

Travelled to the Ocean Sand in March for 2 weeks with our 3 children, 5,4, and 2.

In general, we had a great time at this hotel. The grounds are very clean, well kept. Careful on the poured concrete pathways, they are slippery when wet. My daughter had a few near falls but she was either running or jumping. A trolly goes around the property which we used quite often.

The food was great. No complaints here. There was always something to choose. The kids always ate well. The desserts were wonderul! I put on an extra 5 pounds because I just had to try something from the dessert selection for lunch and dinner. They had peanut butter and Nutella in the main buffet when we were there. Themed nights with lots of variety. Have to try the crepe station and the stir fry station. Very good! They had white and chocolate milk as well. After dinner we would ask the wait staff to bring the kids some chocolate milk for their night cap. Service was pretty good for the most part.

Mike's was awesome!

We were in villa 9, 2nd floor, facing the back. We looked on to an empty lot that was being cleared for another hotel. The room itself could do with an update but it was super clean all the time. Patio door locked and safe worked without any problems. There is no extra lock on the door not a peep hole. Only saw one mosquito in the room for the whole two weeks. Nothing else!

When we needed extra towels or sheets for the day bed, there were brought to us within 10 minutes as promised. My youngest broke two drinking glasses on the floor during our stay and someone came up to clean up the glass within minutes of us making the call. My only complainst about the room would be the noise from the outside. We could hear the cars/trucks driving on the road inbetween our room and the next property. The weekends brought in new guests that were quit loud throughout the entire night so I heard all the door slamming, shouting, and even loud conversations and "activities" in the room next door. It kept me up for most of the night but the kids and hubby slept well.

The bowling alley was great. We did that before dinner one day and it was a great way to spend the time. Our eldest went up to the teen lounge before dinner then as well to play some Wii. There were no other kids up there at the time so they let us up.

The pools are large and clean. They have a gradual entry so this works well with the small kids. We did not spend too much time on the beach so I cannot comment there but it was clean and the water was nice and warm. There were plenty of loungers available by the pool. However there was a lot of saving and then no one showing up as well.

Our 5 year old and my husband saw one show - Lion King and they both thoroughly enjoyed this.

The kids did not do much with the kids club. However, we did go in there a few times to just colour or watch some tv.

Our flight did not leave until 9:30pm so with three small kids who needed naps, we really wanted the late check out and were more than willing to pay any additional charges. We asked midweek for late check out and were told to come back and talk to the manager. We came back the next day and were told by the manger that we have to ask for this on the day of departure and there is no guarantee. So a little anxiety on my part just because we did not know where we would be spending the afternoon before checkout. However, they did allow us to check out at 5:00pm and we had to pay 10.US for every extra hour.

We stayed at the Ocean Sand in Bavaro during March 2009. Still slightly confused by the name of the hotel, it appears to be called 'Ocean Sand' and 'Ocean Blue' and even 'Ocean Blue and Sand' but it would appear to be the same hotel. Anyway whatever its called we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The rooms were spacious, comfortable and clean. The food and drink was plentiful and varied. Plenty of loungers by the pools and the beach was sandy and clean.

Every evening there was a show in the theatre which lasted about 45 minutes. The shows varied from musicals such as Grease to circus acts and magic shows. We thought that for hotel entertainment it really was excellent.

We did two excursions. The first was to Saona Island. This was described as a speedboat trip along the coast to the island followed by lunch then a return trip on a catamaran. We forgot to ask how long it took to get to the speedboat after our 6.15 am pick up and due to a problem with further pick ups we spent 4 hours sat on a coach before we got to the speedboats (apparently it usually takes 2 to 3 hours each way). This didn't put us in the best of moods but things improved after that. The speedboat was really an open top boat capable of carrying about 20 people but it did have a large outboard and although fast it was very stable. We stopped part way to the island and had the opportunity to get out into some shallow water for a photo shoot with some starfish. When we got to the island we had an included bbq lunch and plenty of rum and cokes. Then after a few of hours lounging on the beach we set off for a very pleasant trip back on the catamaran with more rum and cokes. The return coach journey took about 2 and a half hours which included a brief stop at a small shopping centre. The excursion lasted about 13 hours and despite the length of the coach journey either way we really did enjoy it and would recommend it.

The second excursion was called Bavaro Splash. This was a half day excursion involving driving a small two seater speedboat and snorkelling. The starting point was a short drive from the hotel and it was very organised with boat handling instruction, safety briefs and life jackets. There were about 20 two-seater speedboats in our group and we had to follow each other along the coast in a convoy led by the guides. The difficulty with this was the guides shot off very fast and everyone was expected to keep up. Christine drove and, considering it was pretty choppy, did a marvellous job keeping up. However with the speed involved, getting bounced around and getting drenched with spray I, in the passenger seat, did not enjoy it at all. We then reached a diving platform where we put on mask, snorkel and flippers. We were put into groups with a guide and jumped in for some snorkelling however this was not some splashing about looking at colourful fishes. Yes there were lots of tropical fish that the guides attracted with food but the water was choppy, the guides led us quite a way from the diving platform and we were in the water for quite a long time. After the snorkelling it was back in the speedboats for another hair-raising trip back. Perhaps I am getting a bit old (approaching 50) but I really did find this excursion a bit too much physically and I do think it is really more suited to the younger holiday maker.

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Ocean Sand and would recommend it and happily return.

We recently just returned from our stay at this hotel, and Wow, it was just great. The pool and beach are amazing, very clean, and always fun to go to. The Food was excellent, we tried every restaurant (2 you have to pay for, 4 are dress code i believe.) The buffet had theme nights, which was nice, and for you lazy people a "train" of sorts going around stopping at villas. The rooms, sorry to say, could be cleaner, remember to bring bug spray! and remember to fully close the doors, mosquitos got in alot, so i wore bug spray to bed, worked fine. Vendors come on site every other day mon, wed, fri, i believe and try and sell you stuff, if u want something, bargain!. They ask for alot of money USD, but if you say you only have 10 Dollars they will probably accept it. Expect to get hassled a bit but thats their job, just say no and you will be fine. The lobby was amazing! chairs, couchs, people could fall asleep in there it was so breezy and confortable. Mikes, the coffee shop, opens at 10 closes at midnight, free coffee and snacks w/e u want. Very nice. There is an internet place if you need it, gift shop, spa, a little medic(didnt have to use). Just a couple tips, dont drink the water straight out of the taps, and only eat cooked veggies (make sure washed). i avoided these and didnt get sick once!. It was a great vacation, me and my family had a great time. The Villas were mostly clean, but you never know when room service will call! They start early, skip you if you are still there and come back early. They Spray mosquito repellent every so often, you cant smell it at all, and it works!. Nightly entertaintment, when we were there they had a magic show (fun for ALL ages, everyone seemed to love it), copa cabana, a dominican themed one, and 2 others we didnt go to, as we were so tired!. The pool and beach close at 7 30 and 7 respectively, as the beach flies and mosquitos start comming around. During the day it is hot remember your sunscreen! the beach was just wonderful, though just an fyi for younger children it is a partial-nudety beach, but most were in swimsuits (95%). NO language barrier issues at all, we always got what we needed, id suggest tipping howerever, people said they did a bit of a better job if we did, so we did, but i dont know about that. When you go, remember to stay on site, id strongly suggest NOT leaving, except for the planned excursions, which were rather expensive. Other then that, once more, a wonderful hotel to stay at!

We spend two weeks in Ocean Sand and everything was OK, but now I received my Visa bill and discovered the charge for one long distance call in amount of US $30. It was short , about 2 minuts, call to Toronto from Payphone installed in reception room. I had no idea abot rates but was ready for $ 5-7 per minut, and received bill for $43 CAN.

People, never use payphones or your room phone for longdistance calls before finding out what you going to pay.

Alex, Toronto, Canada.

Four of us stayed at the Ocean Sands from Feb 23-March 2/09. This was the first trip to the Dominican for all of us. We had a fabulous time. The worst part of the trip was having to leave, packing was so depressing! The food was fantastic. Unbelievable selection every day at every meal at the buffet. We went to two of the restaurants and actually prefered the buffet. Our friend had a birthday while we were there. We mentioned this to Max and he arranged a birthday cake and had the staff sing Happy Birthday. (Thanks Max!) The beach was beautiful, the pools were well maintained and loved the swim up bar. The rooms had some issues like a table lamp that would sometimes give you a zap when you turned it on or off and bugs, especially mosquitoes (take your bug repellant). Our friends had a water leak in their room but it was minor. No view from the first floor either but we were not in the room enough to really care. We had requested a room that was not on the first floor and not in villa 9 or 10 because of what we had read in the reviews but got first floor in villa 10. We asked to be moved but was told there was nothing else available. After a couple of days, we actually prefered the first floor in villa 10. We didn't have stairs to climb and villa 10 was the closest to the beach and pool. Walking to the restaurants was really not that far and certainly not an unpleasant walk given the scenery. There was always the "shuttle bus" going by if you didn't want to walk. The bar in the lobby was busy after 8pm or so. More seating would be helpful. There certainly is enough room for more tables. Tipping is a good idea and the staff really appreciated it. My partner did it every time he went to the bar and they would serve him right away and he got the "higher quality" rum. Take a lot of 1$ bills with you as they are hard to get at the resort. Watch for the guys at the stands on the beach. Everyone is their "best friend" and they say they are going to give you a good deal! My girlfriend and I picked out 5 or 6 pieces of jewelry. Jose added up the total on his calculator (they all have calculators) and it came to US270.00!!! As we were walking away, it was down to US30.00!!! The anklet I bought fell off somewhere so it was lost, the second one I bought broke twice so it's not the best quality. Barter, barter, barter. They expect it. All in all, each of us totally enjoyed it and wouldn't hesitate to go back.

This was our first trip to the Dominican and the first with our children ages 12, 12 & 10. My husband and I have been to the caribbean before and knew what to expect. I had read the reviews for ocean blue and was actually scared that I booked this trip. The only thing about this trip I hated was that I stressed about what reviews I read. Now I realize that the people who write a bad review are people that you cannot please. SERIOUSLY... you are in the Caribbean with no cares in the world. There ARE bugs there! You are in a small 3rd world country... the food is not the best, but if you cannot find something you like, then stay home and make it yourself. The buffet has a hundred choices. Yes, we all got hit with travel "D" but I brought antibiotics that your Dr. will give you before you leave. I was blown away by the critical comments people wrote.

If you book your vacation to Ocean Blue and get a last minute deal, you will get a last minute deal room. Don't expect it to be top of the litter. We booked thru apple vacations, had building 5 (amazing) were most apple guests stay, there was a security guard posted in the middle of our building EVERY night, The apple rep was there all day, helping you book any excursion you wanted to do. (she even ordered my twins a birthday cake and arranged everything for their birthday dinner...Petra rocks) the room was very comfortable for a family of 5! plenty of room. we had a small leak and they were there if 3 min to fix it and had it done in 10 min. you want it... they get it. tipping a couple dollars at a time is HUGE for them.

I can honestly say, we could not have had a better family vacation. As for my husband and I... this is not the hotel we would have stayed at if it were just the two of us. We prefer adults only when we are not vacationing with the family. To each is own!

They didn't really have much for top shelf booze, make due with what they have,

i did and i am picky!

I didn't get into the barter, excursions, beaches etc...everyone else writes that. I felt this was important! It is beautiful, amazing, clean, friendly, warm and a true paradise!

know that we walked the miles of beautiful beaches and ocean blue looked far better than the many we saw from the beach.

While many in our group had a day or two of upset stomachs and diarrhea, my wife and I did not share this trouble. The beach was beautiful and you could walk for miles which was a huge plus. Two beautiful huge pools that were never overcrowded even though the resort was full. As usual at these places the buffet gtes boring but many in our group ate there every meal. This resort had a nice mix of restaurants and unless you have too much money then I really don' know why you would pay extra to eat at the two upgrade restaurants. We were able to get beach huts each day although by the middle of the week you had to be out by 7:30 at the latest but compared ot other places we have been that isn' too bad. Rooms were great although the cleaning person we had didn't seem to respond to tips by giving better service at all. Took the outback tour and enjoyed seeing how the general public live. Got skunked deep sea fishing but the guys before us got 4 rather large fish on their excursion. Weather turned rainy last three days but that only ensured more room at the pool bar for us Canucks!!

Just got back. Very clean, good service, good food, good wi-fi available at a price. Loved the pools and the beach. Entertainment was ok, they tried their best and I've seen worse! I would return at the right price.

Pool was closed at 7.00 p.m. and tennis court at 6.00 p.m.

It was a biggg... frastration. Bavara princess had tennis opend by 11 p.m.

The rest of facilites was good and clean, as I had expected. Good service for this money. I liked American restorante and Mexican. Although, Italian was not goog food as they advertised.

My family of 5 stayed @ ocean blue for 5 days,3 kids and 2 adults.Check in was a breeze,the rest not so pleasant. our room was nice despite the shower had only half a door.so the floors were all wet,and we had to use the towels they gave us .thank god we brought our own towels.We kept getting grabed by venders in front of the buffet,especially MARIA stay away from her.She told us she was pregnant,and needed the 35$ she would get paid if we spoke to a sales rep. I'm spanish so her statement to me was you should help me out. I FELT VERY OFFENDED by this comment,my husband is not spanish but he knew how mad i was by the tone of my voice.Food was average 3 of us got sick on the third day.Worst of all we fell in our room on the mirror they have on the wall right when you walk in,the floors where very slippery,and no we were not drunk.This was the day before leaving.We called the front desk they send out about five guys. We thought it was to help noooo,it was to ask us for the money to replace the mirror.My husband was bleeding all over the place from his arm,luckly i'm a nurse and i had a first aid kit with me ,they said he could go to the clinic for 200$ are they nuts.Next day was check out they handed us a bill for 152$dollars. we argued the fact that is was an acident,but they said we still had to pay.We paid it we just wanted to get the hell out of there. SO TAKE MY ADVISE STAY AWAY.

My Husband and I stayed at this resort for our 1st Wedding anniversary, we married in Dom Rep last year but at the Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus, unfortunately that resort was fully booked one year in advance !! This resort is lovely, staff are great, very friendly & very efficient, restaurants and food very good, entertainment very good, cleaner in room wasnt up to much to be honest, in fact, everything was great except the room and the cleaner, rooms need a bit of repair and modernising, apart from that, a resort worth a visit. However, try an Iberostar Resort first, they are a different class !!!!!

The place was clean but the food was raw....eggs , meats etc! They gave US there WATER!!! and 5 out of 9 people including myself were very sick and hospitalized!!!!! Myself was hospitalized for a week and a half.....couldn't eat or drink!

I WOULD NEVER TELL MT WORST ENEMY TO GO THERE!!!!!

I went to punta cana for my honeymoon stayed at the ocean sand I was horibble. We did not get our honeymoon suite, the check in was so slow and the attendents are rude. The hotel does look nice many people that travelled from Vancouver switched to another hotel during the stay, everybody had food poising, beware there was construction in the lobby and we were not told neither it was on the website. Signature vacatons need to be aware of what is going on the resort.

Awoke Monday 2 /09/09 at 3:32am to find a employee in our room standing over the safe. I was terrified and screamed and he ran out. I must have caught him in the act, since he only had time to take my wallet, all credit cards and drivers license and $1400.00 in it. Thank God he did not have time to take my husbands wallet or our passports. After calling security and making a report, hotel management stated that it would be impossible for one of their employees to do this. No apology at all. If you value your safety, please DO NOT stay at this hotel.