Hilton La Romana an All Inclusive Adult Resort

We stayed at this hotel in late February on a 14 day adult’s only all-inclusive package holiday with TUI. The weather was fairly good with day time maximums of between 27C and 30C. Every day there was always some cloud, occasionally quite extensive, and short, sharp showers on a few days. The hotel did have a family section and this, and the adult’s only section, offered a premium upgrade. When you arrive the receptionist offers you an upgrade to premium at an apparently negotiable price of between US$ 40 – 80 per person per day. For this you got a better room, premium drinks (which you could ask for anyway), special places on the beach, and your own pool area, a designated, but just for breakfast, restaurant, and butler service. There was unrestricted access to all restaurants for all guests except for children. The general consensus among people to whom we talked was that a premium upgrade was way overpriced. The whole complex, situated by a very nice sandy beach, was very extensive, offering a lot of room for its attractive gardens. Our standard room was a little larger than we normally get, and had a small balcony with a garden and partial sea view. There were 2 double beds which were very comfortable, a large multi channelled television, tea & coffee making facilities, a fridge, with daily restocking of beer, water and soft drinks, a free safe, and reasonably quiet and efficient air conditioning. The bathroom had a good shower with hot water, but no bath or bidet. There was more clothes hanging and drawer space than we have ever seen in a room before. There was a buffet restaurant in the adults section and one in the family area, where you can eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Premium guests could eat breakfast in the Noor restaurant, but we noticed that many opted for buffet area. We thought the food was of reasonable to good quality, but there was a problem with it being kept warm and to a lesser extent replenished. There were cooking stations for breakfast lunch and dinner, so no problem with the food being hot there. I was particularly impressed by how regularly mussels and prawns (shrimp) were on the menu. Joints of chicken, turkey, lamb, pork and beef appeared in rotation, but a lot of the other items were fairly similar each day. Catering for vegetarians and particularly vegans is fairly limited. They are aware of food allergies. The wine served is Chilean (red cabernet Sauvignon, white Sauvignon Blanc, and rose), and was reasonable. Lunch could be taken on the beach and among options could be pizza, burgers, fresh fruit and paella. There were non-bookable speciality restaurants, namely French, Italian, Steak and Grill, Mares (seafood), Noor (Mediterranean), Chinese, and Dominican. The menus never changed, but the fillet steak was excellent. The “Romantic Meal” evening meal was by the beach, sometimes served with lobster, was US$45 extra per head. There are 2 main lounges plus a Premium Club one, with very slow waiter service for your drinks, though there are a few bar stools. Most guests order their drinks at the often understaffed bar. There are a reasonable assortment of cocktails, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Some of the drinks are local, and there are international spirits usually on the top shelf of the bar, presumably for premium guests, but you will normally be served with them if you ask. The main problem is that from around 7.00pm onwards there is loud, live music and it is difficult to hear what is being said, by your neighbouring guest. The evening entertainment takes place in what is laughably called the Amphitheatre. The best 2 shows were the Circus and the Magic. All the others seem to be musical performed by the Entertainments Team which were very loud and amateurish. The well maintained 2 adjoining swimming pools in the adult’s only area has a swim up bar, which in the afternoons was inhabited with drunk, boisterous Americans. Occasionally there was a foam party, which could last for hours accompanied by ear splitting music. There are shaded sun loungers around the pool. There are many more sun beds on the beach, some with thatched parasols, a large canopied area, and some leafy trees. At any time during the day you will be able to find vacant beds or an attendant will find some for you. However, those considered most desirable are reserved by 7.00 in the morning. Sometimes towels are in short supply because the towel/card exchange scheme is not in operation, and many people have 2 towels each. There are also a rather inefficient showers near the pol. Waiters do circulate during the day to serve drinks. My main criticism is the loud music, which emanates from the beach and pool bars and is intrusive, for those who want a quiet relaxing holiday. The sandy beach, although a reasonable size, is quite crowded, and although you can take a 15 minute or so walk to Bayahibe As soon as you leave the hotel area you encounter litter, stray dogs and mooring ropes from the many pleasure boats moored nearby. The designated swimming area, market with buoys is not particularly large, and the deepest area is probably not much more than 2 metres. I went snorkelling every day and there are fish to see. I encountered 20 - 30 different species. It certainly isn’t top class, but worth doing, especially for beginners. The staff were extremely helpful, courteous, and friendly, and although pleased to receive tips, were not obviously seeking them. Our advice is to tip little and fairly frequently. However, no-one out tips the Americans, who do seem to get the best service. There is a very small exchange bookcase with mainly English and German titles. In conclusion this good value hotel deserves a score of 4.0, but the very loud music reduces it to 3.0 for me. Would I go there again? No, I don’t think so. Read less

This is a strange review to write but it deserves to be written. So... We arrived at the resort on the 12th March for a two holiday. Having been here 2 years ago whilst it was a Dreams resort we were a bit apprehensive about the changes that had happened. We had picked the adult only side in the privilege section. The change was obvious as soon as we arrived. Different reception areas, separate bar area, and coffee lounge. The furniture was lovely and our room was faultless. We had a fantastic view of the pool and the sea. There was a separate buffet restaurant which provided delicious varied food. (Don't know how anyone can complain about this). The other restaurants were equally as good and the bar service was excellent. Adults could walk into the family side but not the other way around. The grounds are immaculately maintained and the staff were lovely. After a couple of days it became clear that the hotel was getting quieter and quieter and the atmosphere became quite strained due to the outside influences of the world situation. People were going home but no one was coming in. Guests were becoming worried about what was going to happen so everyone seemed on edge. It became the topic of conversion amongst the guests and rumours were spreading fast. The restaurants started to close down due to the lack of guests and we all had to use the same buffet etc. On our sixth day,another guest tole us we had to leave the day after or we would be stuck there for at least 3 months. I asked at reception and was informed that this was not true. When we went back to our room later, there was a note under the door informing us that we had to leave the day after. We packed at midnight and did indeed leave the next day as the government were closing the borders. TUI arranged our flight home to Gatwick (we were from Manchester) and back we came. I would definitely visit this resort when the world opens again. It is beautiful.With it's white beach and it lovely reef, it is worth the journey. I wish the staff well and hope we can return someday to finish out holiday. Read less

This resort is amazing. We were there in March 2020. The staff were welcoming and engaging. Anything you could possibly need they were ready to help. The beach is great. Crystal blue water as far as you can see. It's a little bit rocky in places but it made for some very beautiful photos. We were able to see lots of crabs and snails. Excellent snorkeling right off the beach. We went out on a sailboat and kayaks provided by the Scuba Calibre group right at the resort. You would really never need to leave the resort for anything. Brand new waterpark is fun for all ages. We enjoyed chatting with Jordany Avila, our waiter, day after day in the Caoba buffet restaurant. There are lots of food options at all the diverse restaurants. We stayed in the Adults Only section. Read less

We were worried about the negative reviews after we booked but after staying here we need not have worried, the resort is beautiful and will only get better with time, beach is beautiful, lovely calm water, we spent all our time at the family pool and it really was such a relaxing beautiful place to be. Special shout to dorka, and Edwin at the bar 👍, food at the buffet we found great, especially the cakes! We also enjoyed the entertainment in the lobby bars each night, they would normally have live music and dancing in both the bars along with the outdoor show. Only negative for me was the restaurants were a bit hit or miss regarding service and standard of food, but overall we really enjoyed our stay, I don’t understand comments criticising the staff as the vast majority are wonderful and try their hardest to give you a great holiday. Read less