Catalonia Royal La Romana - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

3725 reviews

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  Worst experience of our lives!

  Catalonia La Romana - Dominican Republic. Will never return- awful experience!! Upon arrival to the Hotel, it was clear no expense had been spared on the decor, the place is very beautiful. We arrived on Saturday around 5pm. My husband left me in our room unpacking and he went out to explore. Sunday morning we ate in the Buffet and by Sunday evening I was feeling extremely nauseous and couldn’t eat or drink anything. I went without food for the next 4-days as I couldn’t stomach anything and put it down to catching something on the flight perhaps. However, we quickly noticed the food was not very tasty, everything was bland and tasteless and it didn’t matter whether we ate at the buffet or restaurants. We couldn’t quite put our finger on what was wrong….the orange juice is so diluted that it separates to less than half. See picture attached. By the end of our first week here, I started feeling slightly better but my husband developed what we can only think was severe food poisoning and he was violently sick and diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea. Both of us had lost a considerable amount of weight by this point. After starving himself and drinking only water for a few days, he felt he should really try to eat something. We had to book the buffet as it is only a buffet Monday & Friday and we were forced to use the buffet in the other hotel that was rammed with screaming children, considering we paid for an adult only holiday and all the Al a Carte restaurants were full. My husband ordered a chicken dish, which looked slightly green and didn’t smell of anything, he very quickly became unwell again. It’s now Christmas Eve as I write this and we cannot wait to go home. Christmas has been ruined and this has been a holiday from hell. Update: had to visit the hotel doctor at an expense of $600 at 4pm Christmas Eve who gave lots of packets of tablets, gave my husband a saline drip, none of which helped, so we had to get a taxi to Canela 1 Medical centre, as an Ambulance would cost us $450. On arrival the Hospital wouldn’t let us in until we had secured a deposit of $3,000 by card and we were told to claim on insurance later. It’s now Christmas Day and we are still in Hospital and they have diagnosed a parasite from contaminated water and food and Doctor said it has come from the Hotel. We have only eaten at the hotel so this confirms it. They are keeping my husband in a room that costs $250 per night again tonight, and he’s on a drip, antibiotics and probiotics. We are extremely concerned about the costs we will have!! English is not spoken by most, and Google translate is not helpful really, so it’s a very stressful time. Update #2: Boxing Day 26th December 2025 - my husband has been discharged from Canela #1 Hospital so we can fly home tomorrow. We have somehow been charged twice on our credit card by the Hospital AND the Hotel Doctor. We’ve spoken to the Hotel Doctor who confirmed he only took 1 payment and has no idea why two payments have come out. Both payments are different amounts! The Hospital have also taken a second payment which is also a different amount so the cost of treatment currently stands at around £5000!! This adds to the stress we’ve experienced with this holiday. I would like to add and wish I had my phone to video this, but the evening before Christmas Eve, I was hungry and we both went to the snack bar where I had a couple of slices of Pizza and while we sat we watched guests meals being served from the pizza area to the Toscana and Sorenti Al A Carte restaurants. There was no fresh hot food coming from the kitchen, it was all previously prepared and kept in metal trays covered in tin foil. The “chef” and I’m using this term lightly, used his hands and the same pair of tongs to dish up every meal. He used the tongs for fish, chicken and the salad. Other times he just used his hands. We were shocked!! The snack bar had tin dishes with food in under a warm light, which didn’t keep it warm at all covered in tin foil. This was an illness waiting to happen! Now, rooms are cleaned daily, and they make it very clear they do not change sheets often, which was fine with us. However in the two weeks we’ve been here our door handles and toilet flush was never cleaned. This made us look everywhere else and the handles were filthy all over the hotel, especially the main entrance. I understand the heavy traffic of people, but this should have been a priority!! On another note, while we sat to have lunch in the Isla snack bar, we were asked to provide a review by two members of staff. Once they scanned the QR code on my phone, she, the waitress touched my phone to select 5* for all sections on review, and told me what to write to give a positive review. So the review on trip advisor is not what we would have said and as soon as we get chance, I will be deleting it. We did read the reviews of this Hotel and did see some who had developed food poisoning, but we are worldwide travellers, and know how to be careful, however this was purely down to poor hygiene in the Hotel and cross contamination of foods that we witnessed first hand. All the staff are very young and do work hard, so on the outside it looks amazing, but the sanitation is a big issue. They provide bottled water in the rooms and we had a couple of bottles that were not locked, the seal was already broken. Did they fill this up from the tap? Also, all the cups and glasses are washed up using the tap and left to dry in our room , which I’ve googled and contamination can develop and remain in the cups/glasses from the water that you cannot drink. We were really looking forward to this holiday being our very first Christmas abroad. We will never do it again. I was so worried my husband would die here and that trauma will stay with me forever. Now I’m sure that the majority of people here have had a great time, and have not become unwell. But, I feel so strongly about what has happened that I needed to write this review. This is our own personal experience and not a negative reflection on the Hotel in general. General hygiene and sanitation is not at the top of their list, so long as the gardens are kept tidy!! In addition: The beach sunbeds with shade are always reserved with towels even though this is not permitted, and you can never get one. I walked down around 4am one morning to watch the sunrise and they were all reserved. Plenty of sunbeds, just no umbrellas. Staff are attentive and always asking if you need a top up. Staff are very friendly and we have no complaints, they do work hard. The grounds are kept immaculate and the hotel is very beautiful. The shop is expensive and also the mini mart opposite the hotel, so bring your own snacks. Just please be careful and vigilant on what you eat and where you eat and perhaps take some antibacterial wipes and hand sanitiser!

  Dec 28, 2025
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  Hotel fabulous but food hygiene not up to standard

  Location and hotel were great. Spent the first week of holiday in Bavara Beach and was very excited to stay in thus Adult Only resort. Location and amenities were fabulous however the food was not great. I had an upset stomach for 3 of my 7 day stay and food poisoning on my last night. Didn't eat anything the last day as I was worried about my flight back to The UK. On speaking to other guests this happens regularly. The majority of the staff were great, staff at reception were so friendly however some of the staff in the restaurants were not very friendly. On one occasion we had to wait 10mins on an English menu and then approached immediately to place our order. Didn't get time to even read menu. A beautiful hotel but really needs to concentrate on food hygiene. The entertainment was excellent every evening.

  Dec 23, 2025
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  Pleasant and enjoyable

  To all the critics! and Travellers from far ! Respect the culture language In return you recieve theres ! Enjoyable stay

  Dec 23, 2025
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  Food poisoning

  We had food poisoning. Staff didn’t react at all, the shop was selling pills for it. By the end of our stay they were out of stock, so it wasn’t just us who got food poisoning. Staff doesn’t speak any English, can’t even take an order. My husband said “same” (as me) and they brought salmon. He asked for 0 alcohol beverage , they brought beer. All the food is swimming in oil and mayonnaise. Deserts are plain sugar. On the beach the beds are taken from 5 am and staff does nothing about it. No visitors, just towels. Other resorts we been to remove the towels and charge a deposit for them, so it is an easy issue to solve, but no desire to help.

  Dec 21, 2025
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  A Heartbreaking Gamble: Stunning Scenery Masking Serious Health & Service Failures

  We left this resort with a truly bittersweet feeling. While the scenery is unforgettable and the ambiance is lovely, our experience was ultimately disappointing and, quite frankly, heartbreaking. The hotel itself is beautiful, with a fantastic animation program and high-quality live concerts and dance classes. However, the treatment of guests is a total gamble. Our issues began with broken safes in our room (which were multiple times fixed and still didn’t work), but escalated to serious health concerns. Both my mother and I suffered clear cases of food poisoning—the symptoms were textbook: appearing hours after eating and lasting 24 hours. When seeking help, the hotel physician charged a staggering $200 just for a consultation, without even mentioning that the shop right next door stocked all the necessary over-the-counter medications. Furthermore, as a family with gluten-free requirements, the dining experience was a struggle. Despite the variety, about 90% of the buffet contained gluten, and some specialty restaurants didn't offer a single GF dish. When we raised these concerns, we received a hollow verbal apology. After filing a formal written complaint, the response we received was largely nonsense and failed to take accountability. It is a shame that such a beautiful location is undermined by a lack of care for guest well-being.

  Dec 19, 2025