Hi, me my wife and my daughter which was 4 at the time stayed in the hotel for 2 weeks, we have a great time, staff always tried there hardest to please you, the entertainment in the resort was quite good with party games each day and nightly entertainment. probably my best holiday so far, i could not complain about the hotel the food was good, only thing i could agree with people on is there was locals in on weekends and the place was busy but waiting a few minutes to get served doesnt bother me. people in the towns and beaches are always trying to sell you things and rip you off, but saying no to them usually works, dont buy jewellery off anyone in my opionion unless you get it from the clearence place in caberette only costs 1-2pesos there when will cost ya 30+ off of poeople at beach. Diving was good and you were able to book it in the hotel. the surf boards etc advertised on the holiday brouchure are quite along way away ie if ya walking.

i would go back in a minute but heading to cuba this year.
if anyone wants to ask any questions about the hotel feel free to ask me,
shaky120@hotmail.com

A mixed holiday really, first impressions were that it was not as clean as it could have been, even though we tipped the cleaning staff every day of our two week holiday things didn't really improve. The only good thing about them really was that we had clean towels everyday (expected I know but I was not sure we would even be given this). The rooms were ok, nothing special at all. Considering we were on our honeymoon and had told them this we were given a room with two beds!! No fridge, no drinking water, no remote and terrible shower, thought that it was going to fall off the wall every time we used it.
The asthetics of the complex were great, lovely kept grounds, small but pleseant pool which was kept clean and armed guards patrolling which was slightly unnearving!
The food for the first two days was ok, we were surprised that there was quite alot of choice but it turned out to be pretty much the same for the whole holiday, gets very boring very quickly. Also it was always luke warm, had a feeling that if we ate some things maybe we wouldn'y have been that well, (my husband did get a bout of sickness from somewhere too)! Stick to the salads and the fresh fruit and you can't go far wrong. The Itallian restaurant was open for three nights a week and was terrible, never before have i had a bowl of tomato ketchup being passed as salsa!!
The entertainment team were entertaining if you enjoy cringing at the stage, laughable really, the shows did not really make any sort of sense and the dancing and miming were not that great. The actual entertainment team were all really nice people and obviously tried really hard to please everyone! I think they struggled because the hotel was really quite while we were there and they were obviously quite bored alot of the time. You could have some fun with them tho, trying to avoid being called up on stage but they sometimes would not take no for an answer.
The beach attatched to the hotel (over a bridge) was really quite pretty, small but as the hotel was not busy this did not matter) the bar at the beach was good too, they did nice burgers there at lunch time if you do not fancy lukewarm goat casserole!
Hot drinks are very hard to come by here too apart from at breakfast were the coffee is really great. We got picked up before seven one day for a trip and could not get a coffee anywhere (great start to the day) we were told before seven "No Way" would we get coffee anywhere.
Cabarete is really lovely, only about a twenty min walk along the beach and there are loads of really good bars serving great cocktails. Avoid the Irish bar tho, Jose O'Shays, really overpriced in comparison to the other bars, the food there is good but not worth what you pay for it. Instead head further down the beach to the restaurant with the balcony, had an amazing meal there with friends we met we were all dissapointed that we discovered it on our last night there, would have probably eaten there every night otherwise!!
Shopping too is expensive, even the traders on the beach charge (or try to charge) really high prices for inexpensive goods, have fun bartering with them, most seem to enjoy it and you can have a laugh with them.
The first week of the holiday was really slow which was great, it's a lovely place if you are not that fussy about food and just want to relax which we really did. The second week flew, partly because we met a couple from blackpool, god help us! We drank the second week away and had a ball doing it!
Overall the hotel looks fantastic but we were a bit dissapointed, probably only what you get for three star tho!

This place is great. We were 4 guys just wanting to get away and it was a perfect little spot. I don't care what anyone else says, we didn't see any insect life, besides a couple of lizards outside.

The staff are the most hard working people i know. The nightly show's started off kinda bad but as the week went on the show's got better.

The food was buffet style and always good, when you get there early. Like all buffet's after the food sits in the warmers for a while it may get a little stale. Breakfast is awesome.

The beach is really good too, you can body surf, wind surf, or horse back ride soon as you get there. There is also a little bar there to!!!!! Has the best hot dogs/sausages ever(just add a little hot sauce, ooohhh my that's tasty)

The sellers on the beach are really good too, if you tell them to leave they will. They will also book tours at half the cost of the resort (sorry frank), but be weary, only the resort offers insurance for the tours

The resort itself is really nice, a bit plain but hey, its not a 5 star. A/C works good, we turned ours on soon as we got the rooms. Here's a hint, close the blinds and crank the A/C for the ultimate cool. The maids turn it off when they clean so get in right behind them and crank it up again.

Despite what other people say about the place we always had hot water and fresh towels
we even tipped the maids a couple of times and were rewarded with fresh flowers in our rooms. RENT THE ROOM SAFE, IT ONLY COST $20 AMERICAN, BUT WELL WORTH IT. Also if you're so dependent, they even have wireless internet, in the main lobby. They also have pay internet too, great for quick check of email.

Forget about T.V. They have movie channels but they are not always working and they only have about 5 tv channels; but if you're goin there to watch tv you should have stayed home.

There is not a whole lot for children to do, so if you have them, leave them home

And lastly, Go to Cabrete, specifically Bamboo, its a bar there, its great. Actually all the bars down on the beach are great.

If anyone wants more info please feel free to contact me at domiforever2006@hotmail.com

I stayed at the Punta Goleta Beach Resort in April 2006 , for 4 nights, with 3 girlfriends. Let me begin by saying that from what I read on this site prior to booking, I was indeed expecting "you get what you pay for!". However, I was not quite prepared for the reality of a "3 star" in DR.

My fellow Americans, I am writing this one for you. The 4 of us were basically the only people from the USA there (aside from a couple we met), which, before you all rant about Ugly Americans, is NOT a bad thing - it is wonderful! It seemed that the majority of guests were from Canada, the UK, and France, all very nice people, I might add. Now, I have traveled around Europe a bit, and see the difference between the American and European styles of hotel accomodations. The Punta Goleta is absolutely more of the European-style. Once you understand this, you will find the PG to be pleasant and no-frills.

The cons: 1. Rooms are outdated and lack amenities we spoiled Americans expect in resorts (i.e. room fridge, sufficient towels, extra pillows, alarm clock, remote control). 2. Beach is across the road, which you access over a very steep bridge. 3. Beach area is very small. 4. The buffet gets VERY redundant after a few days, and I was hesitant to eat some of the offerings. 5. Mosquitos!!! Bring lots of bug spray!!! 6. We saw rats in a restaurant downtown, but that's another story....

The pros: 1. Rooms are CLEAN. 2. Beach and ocean are beautiful, with a cool breeze. 3. There are 3+ bars located on the premises that make excellent tropical drinks! 4. The buffet, although boring, always had staples like chicken and rice, and wonderful fresh pineapple. 5. The grounds are really quite lovely. 6. The staff, especially the Animation Team (aka the Fun Police) are amicable and work very hard to serve their guests. 7. There is a gift shop in the lobby that carries all the necessities you may have left at home.
8. 20 min walk on beach to Cabarete, $5 taxi ride at night. 9. Armed guards for protection.

FYI - topless on beach and by pool is the norm here. Good to know if you have kids. Also some of the shows at night can get a little risque - but great perfomances nonetheless!!

Basically, the Punta Goleta is a good place to go if you are willing to use your room only to shower and sleep. You don't stay here for the amenities, nor for the food...however, one can't help but have fun if you RELAX and ENJOY the activities and wonderful people here.
Would I go again? Probably not, but mainly because there are so many other places in the world to experience.