Senator Puerto Plata Spa Resort - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

3338 reviews

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  Christmas at The Senator, Puerto Plata: Swim-Out Rooms, Santa by Boat, Watery Mojitos, and Why We’d Still Go Back!

  Christmas at The Senator, Puerto Plata This is long, thorough, and possibly longer than your flight here. If you make it to the end, congratulations. You’re ready to book. We stayed in a swim-out room (312), which ran an extra $125 USD per night. Worth it? Mostly yes. Regrets? A few. Regret-level trauma? No. First, the good: swim-out meant the kids could swim after the pool officially closes at 6pm, which felt mildly illegal and therefore extremely fun. Night swimming alone extended our days and our sanity. Now the oddly specific stuff you deserve to know: There is no rack to dry swimsuits in the renovated rooms. None. Zero. Plan accordingly or enjoy damp swimwear as a lifestyle choice. The shower is partially frosted glass and fully visible from the main room. If you value privacy and are traveling with family, this is a bold architectural choice. You can fix it by bringing magnetic hooks and a solid shower curtain to hang on the room side, which I strongly recommend unless you enjoy maintaining eye contact with your children while showering. Air conditioning? Aggressive. Arctic. We had to turn it up because we were freezing. Shower temperature and pressure? Fantastic. No complaints. Housekeeping? excellent. We had to move all the furniture so housekeeping could make up the foam fold-out couch (this was last minute due to our room upgrade). I fully expected to uncover dust bunnies, sand, or the remains of past vacations. Instead, the room was spotless. Respect. Downside: no dresser in the renovated rooms. You are living out of your suitcase like a nomad with Wi-Fi. If unpacking is part of your mental health routine, note that the older rooms (like 508) have a dresser, a proper private bathroom, and a tub. Beds? Very comfortable. Fold-out couch? Thick foam cushions that piece together into a surprisingly decent double bed. No complaints. Mini fridge was stocked with still water, sparkling water, 7-Up, and Pepsi. And here’s the magic trick: if you tip well, beer mysteriously appears. Science cannot explain this. Outlets? Renovated rooms are loaded with them, including USB ports. HDMI is available, so yes, bring a Fire Stick and reclaim your evenings. ⸻ The Resort Itself Clean. Well maintained. Staff genuinely friendly, not just “resort polite.” Larimar Buffet Good variety, decent quality. Reliable. No horror stories. Pool Bar Opens at 9am but only serves water until 10am, which feels like a moral test. Open until midnight. Guests bring diving toys, footballs, volleyballs, floats, and basically turn the pool into a low-stakes aquatic Olympics. Drinks Let’s be honest: margaritas and mojitos were disappointing. Bland. Watery. This was consistent at both the pool bar and Legends. We were consistent tippers - so that was not a factor. Other drinks? Totally fine. Choose wisely. Pool Setup Plenty of sun beds and umbrellas. Towels available all day, no hunger games required. There are books available at the towel booth, which is a nice touch. No roaming drink service. If you want a drink, you walk your legs to the bar like an adult. ⸻ Wildlife & Night Entertainment The kids found a live crab in our swim-out pool, which immediately became the highlight of their vacation. At night, the patio hosted a parade of geckos, providing free entertainment and reminding us we are, in fact, in the Caribbean. Night swimming after the main pools closed was a game changer and made the days feel longer without adding exhaustion. ⸻ Souvenirs The market on the resort is expensive. Example: Bag on resort market: $35 Same bag in the beach huts past Playabachata: $10 Walk to the end of either resort along the beach. More huts, better prices, more options. Don’t overpay out of convenience. ⸻ Playabachata Different vibe. After 9pm, if you’re looking to party, that’s where it’s happening. ⸻ Del Oro Chocolate Factory ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Non-negotiable. They will deliver to the resort if you already know what you want (no online shop). Transportation runs $30–$50 USD, and it is still 100% worth it. Staff, products, chocolate: phenomenal. I never leave the Dominican without restocking. ⸻ Christmas Events Christmas Eve Dinner: Two seatings (6:30pm and 8:30pm). Carvings of every meat imaginable, plus lobster, whole crabs, seafood boils, and a mountain of sides and desserts. They did not hold back. At all. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Christmas Day: Santa arrived by boat on the beach, delivering wrapped gifts to every child. Each child sat on Santa’s lap for a photo. There were snacks, cake, a foam party, and a silent disco. It was chaotic, joyful, and well executed. ⸻ Dining Highlights Embers Steakhouse: Delicious. We shared plates to try everything and almost everything hit. Recommendation: Ribeye over the New York Strip. We ate here twice. First time was excellent. Second time was just okay, likely due to it being Christmas Day and a different chef. Still worth booking. Break Snack Bar (10am–5pm) Excellent Cuban sandwich, Ocean Blue burger, steak salad, and chicken burritos. Solid midday option. Legends Sports Bar Gets busy early. If you want a seat, arrive when the pool closes. Otherwise, it’s standing room only and spills into the lobby. Backup plan: tables by the pool. Pool bar stays open until midnight. ⸻ Evenings & Atmosphere Bring travel games. Cards, dominoes, dice. Everyone plays at night, and it adds to the relaxed, social vibe. ⸻ Bottom Line The Senator isn’t flashy luxury, but it’s clean, friendly, well run, and genuinely festive at Christmas. A few design choices are questionable. A few drinks need work. But the value, atmosphere, staff, and holiday execution more than make up for it. Would I return? Yes. Would I book a swim-out again? Yes, with hooks and a curtain. Would I still complain about watery mojitos? Also yes. That’s the honest review.

  Dec 25, 2025
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  Would not recommend this resort to anyone.

  Don’t go here if you have a mobility issue. Asked for a first floor because couldn’t go up stairs. They didn’t help us until a lot of discussion on second day. Managers were rude. Our room the first day had no air conditioning, no drinking water, telephone didn’t work and no hot water. They made use stay in this room. There were no washrooms or bars near the beach. They catered to the cruise ships so we had trouble getting lounge chairs at the beach. The sand had a lot of coral and shells in the water. So do not go here if you have mobility problems.

  Dec 23, 2025
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  Great place for Adults.

  We arrived home after2 weeks at the Senator. We liked it a lot and would go back. here is what we liked. 1. the buffet was great. Different main entree every night. 2. Room was very nice. 3. Staff were friendly. 4. They kept the resort very clean. 5. The ala carte were good however the NY steak was tough. Here is what we found not so good. 1. the amination team was late on everything or did not even have things that were posted. They did not give the location of the event, so sometimes hard to find and right in front of a very loud speaker. . They also were 'provocative' if you know what I mean. 2. The public washrooms had lights on motion detectors and would go out. The urinals were high for kids I thought. 3. The pathways could have used a little more lighting. 4. phone not working. 5. T.V. had only 3 channels in English 6. internet was just ok. you lost it often. Hope this review helps. Over all , we had a great time and would go bac.

  Dec 21, 2025
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  Relaxing vacation

  First I want to say that this resort is NOT a 5 star resort. It very well could be but needs some tweeks. I went with my husband and his parents. We stayed for 11 days and we came from Canada. Pros: - Resort is well laid out. If you care about getting 10k steps in a day, it's very easy to do. - There are a couple maps around the resort letting you know where things are, which we liked. Especially on our first day. - Coffee shop that's open from around 830am - 11pm. It was very handy. They have treats that are free and treats you have to pay for. Staff were friendly and after a few days, they knew our order off by heart. - Ice cream shop that has many options for free and again, some treats that you pay for. - Pizza shop that was quite tasty and not gross like a lot of the reviews say - A few stores that have essentials in case you run out of stuff - 24 hour bar - staff member Wellington was best server we've ever had. He remembered our order, greeted us every time and we didn't have to wait whenever he saw us. - Snack bar at the 24 hour bar, was delicious as well. Be sure to ask for the menu as they have many options. I don't think I've ever eaten so many nachos during a trip. - Pool bar with a swim up bar as well - Ariel who works here, was amazing as well. He also remembered our order after ordering a few times and was super nice. - We didn't do any of the a la carts but they were always busy, so I imagine they were tasty. - Buffet was amazing. Many food options and we never got bored of the options. - Customer service was excellent at this resort as well. - If you're a smoker, they are very accommodating. There are ash trays everywhere. - If you want to leave the resort, shopping is about 10 minutes by taxi. - If you like gold, there's a jewelry store close by as well. - It had the best consistent hot water out of all the resorts we've been to - Time share people don't harass you - You tell them no once and they leave you alone - Staff are always cleaning. They even clean the loungers. So the resort is super clean. - They do their best to keep guests entertained - The gym is clean with lots of options Cons: - My inlaws were sleeping and had the do not disturb sign on and the maid woke them up twice this trip. I can understand if the sign wasn't on the door know but it was. So that's pretty ignorant to do when you want to sleep in. - Our room had been cleaned already and my husband was in the bathroom. The maid came in, said hello and had no cleaning stuff with her. My husband said hello back and the lady left. It was very odd. - There should be a few more bathrooms. The bathrooms that are here, are in the right spots but it's not enough. - There's no bar on the beach and there's no beach service either. - If you're a wine drinker, you may not like the wine they serve that's free. You can buy wine but I'm not sure if that's offered at every meal. My husband gave the red wine a 1 out of 10. I didn't mind the white wine and would give it probably a 3 out of 10. - Souvenir stores on the resort are insanely expensive. I ran out of deodorant and had to buy one. It was $15 USD, which is insane. - Toilets don't flush properly. I know it's a poorer country but the toilets in the public areas, were fine. They should have been the same in the bedrooms too. - Very slow to deal with if you have maintenance issues - They don't fill your mini fridge and if they do, they come at the weirdest times. You'd think they'd leave the items by your door or something or deliver in the afternoon. - No room service - The phone in your room doesn't list how to call the front desk - No hammocks except for in the premium lounge area All in all we had a fantastic time and would definitely come back. With some changes, it could very well be a 5 star resort.

  Dec 21, 2025
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  Nice atmosphere and food but basic communication failures continue

  The resort is generally clean and comfortable, and the food is good particularly the buffet. We are currently in the middle of our stay, with another week remaining. The main issue has been communication with the front desk/guest services. Our room phone does not work. Since the day we arrived, we were repeatedly told it would be fixed, but it never was, making those assurances feel empty. Because of the broken phone, we requested a WhatsApp contact for guest services/front desk as an alternative. While our messages are seen, they are not answered. As a result, for basic requests such as towel or shampoo refills, we have to walk to the lobby in person. There are also some minor maintenance issues in the room, including broken cupboard doors and a broken balcony screen door. These are basic service issues, not major complaints. However, clearer communication and follow-through would significantly improve the experience.

  Dec 17, 2025