The rooms were disgusting. The toilet was broken, the tv didn't have a remote, the beds weren't comfortable, the furniture was old and looked dirty. There were bugs everywhere in the room even after a bottle of disinfecting spray and bug spray. Although the resort wasn't too bad. Service was pretty good the beach was ok.. except people would come up to you every minute to ask you to buy something. The buffet had good food but out of the 5 restaurants i would say the Oriental one is the best, then Seafood, Mexican (it was just tacos and fajitas and that sort), Brazilian (it was all meat and it was all hard to chew) and lastly Italian (never order the lasagna it's not gonna be what you expect and they cook the lettuce for the salad before they serve it to you and the food is cold). The resort itself was quite clean except for the rooms.
I wouldn't stay at this hotel if a traveled to Puerto Plata again.

have just got back from a one week stay at the hotel and have no complaints at all. It was what you expect of a 4* hotel.

The rooms were great, though in fairness we did get an unexpected upgrade to a suite, due to the fact that they accidentally sent us to a room already occupied. For what amounted to 10 minutes of inconvenience the hotel staff were quick to upgrade us, and we ended up with a great suite. The maid was fab, and after leaving a tip we regularly got crisps and chocolate left for us along with the standard drinks in the fridge. We also got 4 free litre bottles of alcohol with the room which was good. Sadly I don't drink, but I did pack one to take home. So overall the room was great.

The food was ok, breakfast was great, I fully recommend the omelettes that they make for you, or get them to fry you up an egg or scramble one for you. They are fantastic. There is also a range of pastries, fruit, pancakes etc. I really couldn't fault breakfast. Lunch tended to be burgers and hotdogs at the pool restaurant, but you could get more choice at the Grill. The buffet was ok for dinner, but tended to be similar every night. Though you get 3 restaurant bookings to complement, I personally didn't like the Brazillian, as they literally give you everything on the menu which is a novel experience, but I have never eaten soo much meat in one sitting. The Oriental was lovely and the seafood was good, though not outstanding.

The tours were the best bit about being in the DR. Admittedly I get bored quickly around the pool so we did something everyday:

Outback Safari - Great trip into the country of DR. You get to see various different aspects including a school and a typical house. Our guide was great, if you get a chance ask for Jessie.

Free Style Catamaran - great day to chill out on the sea. Entertaining staff, who are happy to teach everyone Dominican dancing, which consistents of lots of bum shaking and thrusting.

Paradise Island - well personally for me this was not paradise. It was a sand island the size of my garden, with 5 huts for the travel companies and approx 150 tourists. On top of this is was a 2 hour drive either way. I would avoid at all costs

Ocean World - I would only recommend this if you are going to pay for the extra experiences: dolphin swim, sealion encounter, shark encounter, stingray encounter etc. Between me and my friend we did them all and they were all good. The dolphin swim was fun, but was very geared towards photo opportunities which was a bit annoying. The sealion was fun and fairly cheap, but my friend who also did the sharks gots a great deal as they do the encounter part which is very touristy, but then you get to swim with the sharks in the pool.

Anyway, I think I have waffled enough. I hope this is helpful for someone.

The hotel was not what I expected at all. First, they gave us a room far from everything, with rusty mirrors and a broken toilet. After we complained, they moved us to a closer room, with a functioning bathroom. I do not think the rating on the hotel is right; three stars might be too generous. The rooms are not very nice. Beds were small, décor was awful, and the TV was broken. The resort is very cramped up, and the food was not very good on the positive side the staff is nice. Do not think I would like to stay in a Barcelo resort again.

"Don't listen to the people that have given Barcelo a bad review! This resort was absolutely amazing, and I would rate it a 4 star plus!!! Everything was absolutely great! Beyond my expectations!!! The service, entertainment, staff, food (Brazilian wasn't the best), the cleanliness, the pool, the beach was all good. The staff there was very helpful, and the entertainment was great! The rooms were clean, and the maids were more than helpful! We didn't get to go to the Mexican restaurant, so I can't say how that was. The Brazilian Restaurant wasn't the great but it was good. All the other a la' carte restaurants were excellent, as well as the buffet. The maintenance and cleanliness of the resort was great, the staff there was always cleaning, and making sure the resort was very clean!
You won't be disappointed if you go here!!!