Ocean Blue & Sands (April 2009)

by Krsiti
(Sanford, NC)

Ocean Blue & Sands was our destination for our honeymoon (April 2009). We booked through Expedia for a combined flight & all-inclusive package, and decided to spurge on the "Privilege" package, which I believe was completely worth the extra money.

ROOM: We were in building 10, first floor. It was one of the buildings closest to the pools, a buffet and the beach.

I thought the room was quite gorgeous, clean and spacious. We had a fruit basket, stocked mini fridge and plenty of towels. The maid service was really great (we tipped about $1-2 a day).

GROUNDS: The two pools were really nice, and when we were there it wasn't too hard to find a couple of chairs most days. Same with the beach, there's a roped off "Privilege" section, so no matter what time we got there, there were chairs. The ocean water is crystal clear and calm, and there's little to no seaweed, rocks or shells. The rest of the grounds are beautifully landscaped with fountains everywhere and all the buildings are spaced nicely and are fairly new looking.

SERVICE, BARS & RESTAURANTS: There are several restaurants and bars within the resort, which was a huge plus for my husband and I, we like to try different foods. Our favorite was the Outdoor Restaurant (Seafood), which would have been an extra fee if not for the "Privilege". But the Mexican, Dominican, Caribbean and the buffets all had good selection and service. Our least favorite was the American restaurant, because it's nothing like back home... As for the bars, the beach bar has the most outgoing bartenders, the pool bars are the most convenient and we spent our nights in the front lobby bar. I suggest tipping if you're going to order multiple drinks during the course of the day at one bar, they were more likely to come back to you faster.

ACTIVITIES & ENTERTAINMENT: We tried a bunch of water activities (kayak & windsurfing), but no excursions although you can easily book one. They also had daily games at the resort, but we wanted to relax. They had nightly shows, we only saw one (Dominican History which was good), but other than that we stuck to the lobby bar which often had singers, and the disco. There's also a casino, but we didn't step foot inside. There's also a shopping center for souvenirs right next to the resort on the beach which was nice to walk through.

OVERALL: I had an amazing time at this resort, and had no complaints about our stay here. Punta Cana, D.R.'s is a perfect beach get-away in my opinion.