Emotions by Hodelpa Juan Dolio - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

5335 reviews

• 

  Very good

  Superduper great spot good food, good music, good ambience really good people very attentive one of our favorite places recommend this to everyone . They had different shows and activities every night.

  Nov 16, 2025
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  A bit of a mixed bag...

  This was our first family vacation in almost 11 years. We chose the Emotions by Hodelpa in Juan Dolio and travelled with Air Canada Vacations from Calgary AB. This was also our first time in Dominican. Upon arrival (after a 1hour and 45 min bus ride from the PUJ airport) we were greeted by Elias. Checked in, given a drink etc. We stayed in two swim out rooms next to one another as we travelled with two young adult sons. Swim out room patio was peaceful and enjoyed sitting there during the day. In the evening my husband was eaten alive by mosquitoes. So beware of that. All of us ended up getting diarrea...I seemed to have it the longest, lasted for over 3 days. TMI but I hadn't read many reviews stating this as an issue, and somehow all 4 of us were sick with it. So just a warning. Cannot pinpoint where it might have come from but it literally started within 24 hrs of arrival. The thing that I found really super annoying was the tricky way you are swindled into coming to a 90 min presentation that is someone trying to sell you the vacation club that they offer. We were told it wasn't going to be on that same day (it was) and we were also told we could leave at any time. They wanted your credit card info, your photo id etc. At the end when we tried to politley advise that "no we are not putting 4000 USD down and paying 217 USD per month for the next 10 years to get their exclusive pricing" it was like the mafia showed up. 3 different large men all trying to convince you that (basically force you) to purchase this package. They offer no brochures, no additional information either just the "word of mouth of the 90 min presentation" We were in no way going to purchase and felt the first day of our vacation was wasted by this. I also didnt appreciate the pressure sales tatics the 3 men used as well. Also the every two seconds someone trying to sell you a tour package (all within the first couple of days). highly annoying. After the first few days we were left alone. The room was ok for the most part. The swim out pool (nice as it was) was always cold and that prevented me from using it alot more then I wanted to. The pools around the resort were great. I had no real issues with the pools. Travel at this time was quiet so there wasn't alot going on so it was quieter then usual. Food I am skeptical on as we all were sick. We ate at two of the 4 al la carte restaurants. The italian and the dominican restaurant. We did not realize that the other restaurants were only open on certain nights of the week (as we discovered when we went in to book the asian restaurant). That was not communicated to us. So therefore we spent most of our meals at the buffet. The buffet was ok. I had no real issues there as there always seemed to be a wide variety of food on at every meal. Service was generally quick (for drinks etc at the buffet). Staff were friendly and helpful. It was kept clean as well. The beach I enjoyed. It sucked that it was across the street but it's not that big of a deal as it's a short walk. Always plenty of loungers available. The ocean was not as clear as the pictures were online and we were told this was due to Hurricane Melissa that had come through (the weather system not the actual hurricane) the previous week, so the water was still a bit dirty from that. The sand was nice. Beach vendors (again highly annoying) as it's every two mins someone trying to sell you something. Food at the beach grill was ok. Everyone seemed to love the fried chicken so there was always a bit of a wait for that. Beach bar was good. Coffee shop was great. Entertainment was pretty good. Activities at the resort seemed non existent. It was hard trying to keep two young adults occupied as there was only so much pool and beach they wanted to do. We were told there was archery, tennis, yoga etc yet never saw any activities going on around the resort. While there is some room for improvement I did find myself sad to leave yesterday and did enjoy relaxing. There are probably a few things that I would prepare myself better on if I did visit again and know better for next time. Your holiday is what you make it. Despite being sick I did enjoy the staff at the resort and I found no real issues with the actual resort itself. I would give this resort a 7/10 (as some of the issues encountered were poor planning on my part as well) .

  Nov 13, 2025
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  Extremely Average

  This resort is a hard 3/5. Lower your expectations, especially if you’ve been to better resorts. We had a swim up room which is worth it for the quiet and peace and easier access to the beach but not for the pool. It was always shaded and cold. With the room upgrade we had access to the adults only pools. The service here was horrible. Waited 45 minutes for a drink while waiters sat and spoke with other guests. Also the drinks are completely watered down. Try getting bottled drinks instead of mixed for better quality. We only went to two restaurants. Lolita is a joke of a spot for Mexican cuisine. The mole was turkey gravy. And the salad bar is a nacho bar. Avoid this one. We ended up at the buffet the same night we went here. Oregano, the Dominican spot, that I wish we went to more than once. Fantastic food here. We got the fish and the steak and both were cooked very well. Beware that all restaurants must be reserved the night before at 8 pm. They will not book anything in advance even in the off season. The buffet was surprisingly decent, lunch seemed to have the best variety. The coffee shop was our spot. We loved the espresso here. The desserts in the case are not refrigerated so beware of that. They had tried to sell us the lobster dinner but instead we left the property and went to a place called Da Oreste. Beachside as well, less money for more food and superb service. Highly recommend this. Cab service was tricky for us, might have been because there was road work. The Ubers will try to have you pay off the app, be ready for this. We booked an excursion through the resort. We went ATVing in the forest and saw some caves. It was $125 USD a person for two hours with hotel transfer. They will describe it as a plantation tour and stuff, this isn’t true. But hey, we had a blast. Be ready to be hustled and sold things a lot. And don’t bother converting money, they wanted USD for everything. And definitely bring bug spray!!!!! Mosquitos everywhere.

  Nov 11, 2025
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  It’s a one and done for us

  We just got back from there - just. As in 12 hours ago. Here’s my breakdown. Horrible distance from the Punta Cana airport. 1hr 45 from the airport. The resort road seemed like we were being mugged. The resort grounds are nice. I think it’s a shame that the beach is on the other side of the road, beach isn’t big. And the sand isn’t the best either. When we arrived we were told we were in building 10 (couldn’t be any further from anything) so we asked to upgrade. Julio at the front desk said we could for free. So we did, and I tipped him. We left to go put our backs somewheres safe while we waited for the room, and he came and got me and asked for the $700usd, which he never explained. Needless to say we didn’t trust him, and canceled that right away. We ended up upgrading to adults only for $150. Well worth it, as there were lots of littles. Julio when gave my girlfriend a hard time after saying we don’t have any perks with that section, but gist services settled that fast. Overall I’d give the resort a 5.5/10. Staff is amazing except the one I had an issue with. Shoutout to Edward (omelette maker), Jancier, Luis, Toni, and Scarlett This time of year we were one of 3 Canadian couples on the resort out of 50 some odd people. The rest were locals so if you go in the offseason. Expect that.

  Oct 18, 2025
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  A great resort .

  Visited Emotions fot the 6th time , in the last 6 years , and my only regret , was not staying there , the times I stayed at another resort . Simply the best place in that area !

  Oct 13, 2025