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Hotel & Resort Reviews:
Dominican Republic
Allegro Bavaro 02/13/02
Reviewers Rating:  Great
My husband and I just returned from Allegro on Monday. We were there for one week. We had a great time overall but there are things that need to be said for anyone else going there, so they can make a informed decision. We got a randomly picked standard room. It was ready for us when we got there, there was no opportunity for a room request such as an oceanview. Our's was overlooking the pool and stage area. It was noisy during evening entertainment - 9:30pm-10:30pm. I think the way the buildings are positioned everyone would have the same problem - unless you had rooms around the back. It didn't bother us much as we were awake anyway. The room was VERY musty smelling, much worse than I have ever experienced. Opening the patio door and keeping a/c on helped but the smell never really went away. The room always felt very damp and so did the sheets and blankets on the bed. It was a clean room but still needed a little extra care here and there. Our maid put fresh flowers in everyday, she was more prompt with the room when we took time to leave her tokens of apprecation. We asked for a king bed and we got two queens instead. My boyfriend saw a big sentipeed come through the bathroom and on the last day we saw a pretty big spider under our desk. The hotel does a regular fumigation of the facilities once a week or something. It was done during the day so it didn't bother us too much. I guess you have to expect bugs to get in when everyting is open concept. We ate at the buffet every night because they seem to have a good variety of food, although we got tired of it by week's end. We heard that the italian restaurant has no a/c so we avoided it, and we're not into seafood restaurants either, although it smelled GREAT. The buffet is very popular and really fills up fast. we tried going later as opposed to earlier and vise versa but it didn't make any difference. There was a lot of seafood at the buffet and it was plentiful. They had a nice pasta bar that I ate at almost every dinner. Breakfast is also good as they have nice omelets and everything else you could imagine. There are plenty of bars to chose from and you don't have to walk far to find one. The bars are geared towards mass-consumption so the pina coladas are premade and put into a machine, other drinks are mixed for you on the spot. The only place that will make a nice blender drink is in Topaz, the buffet restaurant. The pool is really cool but gets busy during the day. We went every night about 8pm and we were the only ones in it. The beach was nice but a little disapointing. I was told that Punta has spectacular beaches and I can see that being true, but not outside the Allegro and the resorts in the immediate vacinity. Don't get my wrong, it nice and blue but there are many man seaweed patches that made it less enjoyable for us. we honestly never swam directly in front of the resort once. Many others did and seemed ok with it. Me, I like a crystal clear section with no seaweed and blue blue water. We found it. Punta Cana is a 20 some-odd km coast so you can walk as far as you want to the North (turn left when you leave Allegro) you will walk past another resort called Natura Park on your way. Walk about 1/2-2/3 a km and you will find a great place to swim. You will know you are there. the water is the bluest I have ever seen and you can see all the way to the bottom for a long way out. it was breath-taking. There are 2 downsides to it though - there is no resort in that area but a huge empty space wiht a ton of palms and unfortunately, some garbage. Also, there is lots of dried seaweed. We simply cleared away a good sized spot big enough to spead out our towels. There are no chairs anywhere but we didn't need or want them anyway. The other downside it that there are tons of speed boats zooming by about every 5 mins or less. They are boat tours, scuba boats, glass bottom boats, etc. I think there are sandbars around that area so they might be forced to come close to shore. It's quite annoying because if you're not careful they might run right over you. They fully expect you to move out of their way and most people do. We found ourselves playing chicken with these boats half the time because we got tired of moving. If you swim right in front of the allegro or Natura Park there will be a ropped off area where no boats go at all. I guess there is a small price to pay for a nicer beach so to us it was worth it. Another thing that is worth mentioning is the current. One day we went in the water and we left outselves really being pulled around. it wasn't to the point that it was dangerous for two adults but I'd only take kids in with supervision. There was a moderate current that day but the next day is was find again. Didn't see any jellyfish or sharks, hardly saw any fish at all. We didn't try any of the excurtions because they all seemed quite expensive and I heard snorkling wasn't good due to the reef being somewhat dead if not all dead. There are so many palm trees in Punta Cana and especially around Allegro. I had an opportunity to eat some fresh coconut right off the tree - delicious - but becareful, it's a natural laxative. There is an internet kiosk in the lobby but it was a tad annoying. The keyboard is on a tray that is hidden away in the shadows.. My hubby had to shine a flashlight on it for me when we used it at night. it takes US$, Pesos or credit cards. The resort was very busy when we were there and it made if difficult at times. Personally I would not stay at a resort that size again because there were people and activity around us at all times and not as much peace and quiet. The staff are great, very friendly and helpul. They really appreciate it if you try and speak a few words of Spanish and not just babble on to them in english and assume they know what you're talking about. I also noticed that quite a few people don't even bother to say a simple 'gracious' when they do something for you - it seemed liked it was just expected that they be waited on. These people work there day in and out and don't make a lot of money, we tried to make them smile and laugh each day. We always said 'Hola' to everyone and one day we went around and gave out candy. Their faces light up like children, it was touching. A special mention should go to 'Clemente' He works at the main bar just outside the buffet. He works at night, he made our trip a lot more memorable with his antics. Check-out time is at 1pm and if you want to keep your room any longer it will cost you $100 pesos per hour ($10 cdn)They will also give you a complimentary room for 30 minutes to shower if you decide to check out at 1pm but still want to swim before you leave for the airport. For us it was about a 6.5 hour wait for our bus to come. We both felt that more effort should be made to take care of the beach and fix the trivial little things around the resort that just slightly take away from the overall quality of the resort. I'd rate it at 3-4 stars. it's good for it's value but I'd go somewhere else next time. If you are already booked don't sweat it, we had a great time. We took a ton of digital pics that we will be posting soon. They turned out beautifully.
Katie
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