Senator Puerto Plata Spa Resort - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

3354 reviews

• 

  Average resort

  Good things Staff were friendly and generally helpful Grounds are not too big so it’s easy to get around Ability to access next door resort Amber cove beach a little quieter and more shade than main beach Room housekeeper was thorough and professional. Our room looked great after each cleaning There are 2 bottles (1.5L each) in your room and they will replenish daily. Just make sure you remove the do not disturb sign. My husband was sick and when I asked at dinner for items that were not displayed on the buffet (bananas and crackers) staff immediately procured them for me. Not so great things Buffet Food was hit / miss. Often the hot food was not hot (such as soup. And it generally lacked flavour. Reception/ check in At check in, we were given one key card per room. Getting an extra key card meant returning to the front desk the day after check in. And then the second key would not work which meant a third visit to the reception. Some rooms had umbrellas and others didn’t. Not sure how this is determined The posted meal times are incorrect. There is an activity board but nothing to indicate special meals or evening events. Unless you were in the right place at the right time, it was close to impossible to know what was going on at the resort. Mokka coffee shop Mokka coffee shop states opening at 9 am but really it seems to open earlier Mokka coffee shop - there’s a list of specialty teas ( 12 of them) and yet they only ever have 3 kinds - black, green, chamomile Embers steakhouse It was ok. The rib eye was fatty and quite small. And it wasn’t served hot. The soup also was not hot. And when we asked for hot water for tea (for our own tea bags) it was lukewarm at best Xmas eve meal All guests who wanted to eat at the buffet had to make a reservation for one of 2 seatings - 630 or 830 pm. We booked a seating for 630 pm for 14 people. When we arrived we saw that we were short 2 seats. It appeared that a staff person moved one of our tables to give to a (different) couple. This caused frustration. The solution they offered was to insert 2 chairs where the table legs are situated. Uncomfortable. In the end, the solo diner on the other end finished and they moved the table to the larger group. Guest services There was so much conflicting information on speciality restaurants and reservations. I won’t describe the different “rules”. It seemed to depend on who the guest services rep was. In our own party of 14, some of us were told only 2 pre-booked reservations allowed (7 night trip). And then others were allowed to pre-book a third reservation. They do not accept credit cards for taxi excursions, tour excursions, special meals. Reception accepts credit cards cards but cash is required to pay for anything connected to guest services. Example - we booked the Japanese restaurant for my sister’s bday. And to skirt the reservation rules (which I won’t elaborate) we paid for a bday package- champagne cake and balloons for 70$ USD. But we had to pay cash for this service. Puerta plata If you are comfortable seeking your own adventure, order an uber which will take you at a fraction of the price. Guest services offered a taxi excursion service (25$ USD pp) for 3-4 hour tour. We ended up taking an uber to Puerta plata and back again for less than 10$ USD. We didn’t go to any other spots but uber was easy and safe. Also felt safe in Puerta plata with lots of tourist police. Guest services would not give us any info on Puerta plata when they recognized that we were not using their services. Uber cannot pick up passengers from the hotel but it’s a short walk to the main road where the driver can pick you up. And for the return, hotel security allowed the driver to drop us off at the hotel front steps. Wifi Not consistent. At least 2 rooms in our group of 14 did not have functioning wifi. Maintenance was called a few times to rectify this No free wifi at Amber cove beach Spotty wifi at the buffet. This could be due to a mass number of people in one place. Uber (unrelated to the hotel but helpful info Our return flight was quite delayed and we stayed at the resort a few more hours. When we were ready to leave we started to organize Ubers and we felt scammed. A driver would accept the ride and then started to send messages that the hotel is too far and that there is an additional charge of 20$-40$ USD. Each driver did this and we ended up paying total 30$ USD for a uber to POP airport. Also be aware that traffic through Puerta plata was quite busy. It took 50 minutes to drive from resort to airport.

  Jan 07, 2026
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  The best vacation senator puerto plata

  Had a beautiful time at the resort. Lots of food options to choose from. And most importantly the entertainment team was AMAZING!!! Shout out to blacky boy! He made the trip incredible

  Jan 07, 2026
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  Best vacation ever!!!

  Absolutely amazing!! The staff, food, rooms they have it all!! The food in the Legend sports bar amazing!! Lively atmosphere, great pizza Parlour, ice cream shop, coffee shop was Absolutely amazing.. had use of the resort next door and all their amenities!!! Awesome!!! We are scheduled to go back January 21 2026 I am excited! See you soon Senators!!!

  Jan 04, 2026
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  “Beautiful Property, Missing the Atmosphere”

  We are nearing the end of week one of a two-week stay at Senator Puerto Plata. While we are enjoying certain aspects of our vacation and are making the most of our time here, this is not a resort we would personally choose to return to. I wanted to share a balanced and neutral review so others can decide whether this resort fits their travel style. Rooms The rooms are dated but clean, not a problem, just something to be aware of. We experienced no issues with water pressure or temperature, and everything in the room worked as it should. The shower is a standard setup with a handheld nozzle and did its job reliably every day. The beds are comfortable enough. The pillows, however, are memorable for the wrong reasons. Not great, but manageable, and we still slept. The biggest disappointment with the room was the balcony, which was essentially unusable due to a very enthusiastic mosquito population, being tucked back in a sunless and drab corner. We had hoped to enjoy the sun and resort views, but this wasn’t the case. Another downside was the unfriendly attitude of the cleaning staff, which stood out compared to other resorts we’ve stayed at. Resort Layout & Amenities The resort is very spread out and segmented, with no central hub for coffee, drinks, or socializing. Creating a fairly lifeless atmosphere and it means a fair amount of walking just to grab a coffee or a drink and then find a place to sit and enjoy it. On the plus side, your step count will flourish. There are three à la carte restaurants on the property. Reviews online are mixed, but unfortunately we can’t comment yet, as we were unable to secure reservations upon arrival, everything was booked. We’re hoping to try them during week two, or we will make the best with snacks and buffet. The buffet is adequate and very much what you’d expect from an all-inclusive resort: lots of choice, something for everyone, and a reliable fallback when plans don’t work out. Service Overall, service has been lacking. One of the things we’ve always enjoyed most about all-inclusive resorts is the staff, the friendliness, humour, and atmosphere they bring. That energy is largely missing here, from the front desk to housekeeping to restaurant and bar service. One clear exception is the entertainment team, who do an excellent job during the day. They are energetic, engaging, and genuinely seem to enjoy interacting with guests at the pool and beach. Their enthusiasm helps fill some of the gaps elsewhere. Evening Entertainment The evening entertainment has been underwhelming. Additionally, the sound system often seems to believe that louder is better. Unfortunately, the speakers are frequently turned up to the point of distortion, which takes away from the enjoyment. A little less volume and a lot more clarity would go a long way. Grounds & Beach The resort grounds are beautiful and well maintained, with lush landscaping and mature trees. While I’m not personally a big beach person, I appreciated the more natural, shaded feel of the beach area. Exploring the grounds is highly recommended, and a pleasant way to get those steps in again! The resort truly has so much potential, which makes some of the missed opportunities more noticeable. New Year’s Experience New Year’s Eve stood out as a noticeably better experience overall. Service improved, and there was a clear effort to create a special evening. Management was present during this time, whether coincidence or not is hard to say, but credit is due for making the night feel more polished and enjoyable. Overall It’s difficult to tell whether there is genuinely not much to do, or if the lack of interaction and service makes it feel that way. At this point in our stay, I do feel disappointed overall. That said, if you prefer a resort where you are largely left alone, enjoy a quieter and more segmented layout, and don’t mind walking between amenities, this resort may suit you well. There is a sister resort next door, which we’ve found ourselves visiting more often for a more social atmosphere. The walking between resorts is unavoidable, but again, good for the daily step count. We’re hoping the second week improves, but based on our experience so far, this isn’t a resort we would choose to revisit.

  Jan 01, 2026
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  Void it

  Our stay has honestly been frustrating. From the start, getting restaurant reservations was a mess. Most nights nothing was available, and when we did get reservations, the system booked multiple specialty restaurants on the same night, which makes no sense. When we finally ate at a specialty restaurant, it was frustrating to see that about half the guests were from the partner resort, while people actually staying at the Senator struggled to get reservations the entire time. Things really clicked after we were invited to an “exclusive event” about their members program. It turned into a 2+ hour sales pitch for a membership that costs the low, low, low price of $30,000+. They explained how members get priority for everything, including immediately choosing three restaurant reservations. Many of the so-called “perks” sounded like basic hotel services, like daily maid service, which even cheap motels provide. After that, anytime we raised an issue, the response was basically, “That’s a members-only benefit.” A 45-minute wait for a mediocre sandwich with cold fries? Members get faster service. No poolside service or towels available? Members get it guaranteed. It felt like non-members are given a worse experience on purpose to push you into buying the membership, which left a bad taste. That said, some of the staff were great. Elien, our waiter at the buffet, a few of the bartenders, and the maid for our building were genuinely awesome and clearly doing their best with limited resources, especially since the resort seemed to constantly run out of things. The food and drinks were mediocre, the shower bar in our room was broken, there was no alcohol in the minibar (not clearly explained), beach towels were hard to get one day, and after about 9:30 a.m. it was nearly impossible to find pool chairs. Overall, the resort feels poorly managed and more focused on upselling than taking care of guests. For the price, there are much better resorts out there. I wouldn’t return or recommend it.

  Dec 30, 2025