Hilton La Romana an All Inclusive Adult Resort

Everything about this hotel is absolutely amazing. I have spent here 11 days in the adult section and I am very impressed. First of all, the entire resort is really beautiful and you can clearly see that it has been just renovated. All the rooms are spacious and designed in a modern way. Secondly, the food is on a quite high level as for the all inclusive hotel- most of the dishes are so delicious that I would pay for them in a regular restaurant without hesitation (for example salmon carpaccio in Mares restaurant is excellent). Of course it happens that something is not that tasty, but I believe that it is always the case in the all inclusive resorts. Thirdly, the staff is very friendly and chatty, always spreading positive atmosphere. Another positive aspect is that hotel offers more sun beds than guests which means that even if you wake up late you will still find a nice spot for yourself on the beach or near the pool area. Also, the location of the hotel is really nice because it is not as crowded as for example Bavaro beach where literally one hotel is built after another. In a close proximity to the hotel there is a nice village called Bayahibe and it’s very charming with some local shops, bars and tour providers! To sum up, we are leaving this place tomorrow and we cannot wait to come back again! Read less

You must go to this exquisite resort! We are missing the truly friendly and hard-working staff of this beautiful adult only resort located in the quietest stretch of beautiful beach anywhere…Bayahibe, Dominican Republic (just West of Los Melones). There are no other resorts in the area…no vendors….no parasailing…no diesel fuel odors…just pristine water…& beach. Having the opportunity to have a glance into the personal lives of the DR people provided us with special memories we will cherish forever. Just ask them to “Dame la lu”…..and they will tell you a story after they are done smiling and impressed that you know some DR slang…thanks to my friend Jorge…down by the beach bar; “Qué lo Qué” will also impress as you ask in native slang how things are going…..”Tranquilo” is the response you will receive most times as everyone is so chill & ready to please. We visited the Hilton La Romana (Adult Only (Premium)) resort during the first 2 weeks of December. This is our 4th visit to the Dominican Republic and must state that we have celebrated new relationships each time. The Dominican People are giving and genuine especially the beautiful people of Hilton La Romana. For two weeks, we experienced incredible joy, relaxation and fun thanks to these amazing people. You will be treated like kings & queens. Our first introduction to how amazing our experience would be was through our email communication with the incredible Ms. Moraima Cayetano who does it all however her title is “E-Concierge” and found on all social platforms helping people from around the globe. We say amazing given her quick responses to our multiple inquiries over a 3-month period. She works tirelessly in support of all guests ensuring their stay is perfect in every way. We will provide further thanks to the many others that made our stay unforgettable later in this review. Many wish to know more about the food, room, beach, drinks, etc. Food: Overall, the quality of the food is of high quality and variety. Plus, no reservations are required at any restaurants except if you wish to participate in the Sakura Teppanyaki Show. We loved the à la carte style of the restaurants providing a variety of choices and styles of food. All dishes were perfectly prepared as per our preferences. We dined at all the restaurants; Sakura (Sushi Bar à la carte & Teppanyaki), Chinola (Dominican Cuisine), Premium Lounge, Caoba (Buffet), Italian, French, Mediterranean, Seafood & Steak. The selection offered is varied enough to satisfy all palates and diets. We consider ourselves somewhat discerning regarding food preparation and tastes. We cannot provide any negative comments regarding the food or restaurants over our 14 days except possibly the slow service at the buffet, which we only attended 3 times. I am certain this issue has been corrected given that the construction is now almost complete and schedules are back to normal. Plus, others to whom we spoke enjoyed the buffet immensely. Over our 14-day stay, we experienced amazing service from all staff members from chefs, busboys/girls, hosts, managers, etc. They treated us as if we were the only guests in the restaurant. The proactivity of the staff was incredible. Breakfast: Your choice to dine a la carte (Premium) or buffet is always a nice choice to experience. We chose to enjoy our à la carte breakfast in the lush settings of the Noor restaurant or in the Premium lounge. We absolutely loved the breakfast starting at 7:30am with great cappuccino, espresso & mimosa. A beautiful bloody Mary is also available for those wanting a kick-start to breakfast. Always ask for the premium vodka when in the lounge (Tito’s). Lunch: There are so many choices for lunch. Do you desire buffet style, a la carte at Noor, maybe a nice selection in the air-conditioned premium lounge, fresh fruit from the beach, hamburgers, hot dogs or nachos at the grill or on special occasions Paella or fresh grilled fish at the beach? It is all served with a smile and the drink of your choice. Dinner: Again, the choices are many and there is something for all tastes and for the discerning diner. All palates will be satisfied. Chinola: the Dominican cuisine restaurant was amazing…quiet…dining by candlelight on the sand just the two of us at a picnic table with the best service. The food was truly a beautiful experience. Mare: seafood…calamari was well prepared…hot & tender…with black bean cream soup..great evening. Drinks: Oh my…let me tell you…just AMAZING. To receive exactly what you wish, all you have to do is communicate with your favourite bartender. I cannot share mine as there were so many amazing bartenders mixing the very best I have experienced. Perfect every time and knowing your order depending on the time of day and venue…either at the Premium lounge, 24hr café, lobby bar, beach bar(s), sushi bar….anywhere. Room: A huge thank you to Moraima for providing us the very best room with ocean views, 2nd floor, unbelievably quiet & private, large balcony, rain shower, incredibly comfortable king bed and large flatscreen TV. Leave a note written in Spanish in your minibar with a dollar requesting exactly what you wish to receive and it will be done…everyday…Any small issues are immediately resolved. The amenities are upscale. Beach: Incredible experience overall. The most amazing sunsets! No seaweed. No vendors. The beach is amazing. The water is warm, clear with snorkeling close to shore allowing those to enjoy several species of fish. Bring some bread to enjoy the throngs of fish in waist deep crystal clear water. We never had any issue finding loungers by the beach in our favourite location. The premium front desk staff is amazing greeting you when you arrive into the lounge and when you leave though they are extremely busy ensuring guests have all they require to experience a perfect vacation. They were responsive to all requests and other information needs. A quick comment regarding tips as we are often asked. This is not a Sandals where tips are included in the “all-inclusive” and tipping is not allowed. Tipping in the Dominican Republic is part of the culture as it is in North America and Europe. At home we think nothing of giving 20%+ tip for meals and drinks for mediocre service. A couple of dollars goes a long way for these extremely hard-working considerate people. We did not feel it was expected however the service level we experienced certainly did warrant some extra gratitude other than just a “thank you” or “graçias”. We regularly tipped our room attendants including the minibar staff, bartenders, restaurant staff, chefs, baggage handling, beach attendants, security, and resort maintenance staff. We were always well received by everyone at the resort to the point where the staff knew us better than we knew them….quite embarrassing at times. Pina and I wish to personally thank the following people who made our 2 week stay an experience to remember and cherish forever. Special shout out to the Hottest Beach Bar Team in the Dominican Republic….Jorge, Moises, Edwin Cedano, Wendy Michel, Isabel, Cristina…a huge heartfelt thank you to you all…you are so very special individually & as a team… Antonio..premium bar will take care of drink needs when you are relaxing on one of those great outdoor couches… Christine at the Premium bar when we first arrived….a beautiful introduction and start to our 14 days..thank you. Joseline for being professional & courteous…introducing us to our room Chef Daniel…the amazing Sushi chef at Sakura who personally created beautiful plates for us on our first night at the Sushi Bar….what an amazing gentleman. Freddy….always looking out for us at the Mediterranean restaurant…so professional & fun Astrid….how do you thank the amazing lady who is always working diligently to ensure your perfect stay. Astrid is always at the premium reception; so much so we kept telling her to go home. Genesys…a beautiful young lady who was always available for us to mix that special drink either in the Premium bar or lobby bar…a beautiful conversationalist…thank you for those moments Brenda & Kendry..24hr café…thank you to you both Victor Val….making our Premium breakfast perfect every morning…perfectly mixed bloody Mary…just the right spice…Tito’s vodka…always there to please…a true gentleman. Sandra…beautiful morning mimosas & bloody Mary’s Carolina…Mare Steak Night…thank you for a great evening. Carmen…premium bar during the evening Andy…French cuisine…thank you for taking care of us Gladibel…thank you for the best seating at the Noor for breakfast Modesto….great kid…always smiling…professional..will take care of you during lunch or breakfast at the Noor Sandy Montilla…thank you for stopping & taking a photo of us at the beach… Cristina Santana…a very kind lady at the Premium bar at night…smiling & caring Franklin…very impressive professional individual…Italian cuisine…even speaks Italian…AMAZING… Francis Xavier..thank you at the Sakura Restaurant… Enyel de la Cruz…thank you for including the Sushi Bar menu during our a la carte dinner…hugely appreciated… Alexander….the BEST Sushi Restaurant barman around; if the restaurant doesn’t have your favourite drink, Alexander will find it and bring it to you....thank you kindly sir Luis Rosario….thank you poppi Jorge Yan…thank you for the late Negroni & Brugal at the lobby bar..beautiful night cap Ansley…thank you for taking time out of your day & helping with the towels that morning Viaury de Castro…thank you for getting us seats at Noor…wa, wa, wa Yeremy Javier….thank you for being attentive with fresh drinks & taking care of us during the French cuisine evening..very professional Jairo Dominguez…Sommelier…beautiful greeting & discussion during our Italian cuisine evening Malika…Breakfast greetings were great..thank you William Severino….Manager…thank you for your time Jeanniela Santana…thank you for the great Chinola appetizer & soup suggestions…exquisite Omar…always tending bar…morning & night…thank you sir We are always open for questions...Enjoy..travel safely..and with health..Cheers! 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I got married at this resort last year after Hilton had taken over, but before all the renovations had begun. My husband and I came back to celebrate our first anniversary this year. We stayed on the adults only side, were not premium and these are some things that we observed. - The rooms have all been renovated and look so good. We loved the new additions of having light switches by our beds and outlets for our charging cords right on our nightstand. Only negative is their lights are on timers and everything shuts off if you don’t keep moving (including air conditioning at night and the lights in the bathroom if you don’t move for more then 30 seconds lol) - We usually went to the adults only buffet for breakfast and for some lunches. Everything we ate here was amazing. Loved the omelettes in the morning. Loved that the buffet has automatic closing doors to keep things quieter. - For dinner we ate at the Italian, French, Steakhouse, Mare Grill (seafood), and Asian. All were amazing meals. We would highly recommend pre-booking the Asian Sakura restaurant hibachi experience where they cook the meal in front of you. It was by far one of our favourite meals of the trip...so much fun! - The chair saving game definitely happens at pools at this resort. We spent all of our time at the adults only infinity pool (which we think is the best one by far). There aren’t many umbrellas and all the spots with umbrellas go very very quickly. Also, it is a bit frustrating that premium guests are able to get butlers to save chairs at the regular adult pool because spots are limited here and premium has their own pool, where the rest of the regular adults only have one place to swim. So we would get up early at 7:00am to save 4 chairs together and we did notice there would be a lot of premium towels out and sometimes those guests never made it out until well after lunch. - Entertainment is definitely lacking from last year. I never saw any entertainment staff by the pool inviting people to come join in any games or activities which we saw happen lots last year. All the evening entertainment is on the family side and we never made it because we usually were still at supper until 9:00pm or so every night and the show was over by the time we got out. We definitely found this to be a huge disappointment from last year. - Family side still has some work from walking around. The biggest difference in my opinion from the adults side and family side is the landscaping. The adults side looks complete, while the family side is not. Even by the family main pool there is lots of dirt everywhere and they are still laying grass and landscaping. They are working on it everyday and I truly believe in a few months this resort will be stunning. On the family premium side the pool looks beautiful, but they are still finishing building 7 so there are wheel barrels and caution tape right beside the family premium pool so it was pretty quiet when we walked over there. - The bars are great. They serve you whether you tip or not. But I will say that if you tip, you definitely get waited on quicker. They remember you and your order and we definitely found it valuable to tip at the bars for the best service Overall I would highly recommend the adults only resort. The location is stunning. The turquoise waters and beaches free from seaweed are a huge bonus. It is very picturesque with sunsets and sunrises...just a very beautiful location for a resort. The updates and renovations are beautiful. The people and service are great. If you are booked on the family side, my opinion is if landscaping and the overall look of everything is a big deal to you, I would wait a couple more months. The adults only side was completed in summer and it is stunning 6 months later and this is how I believe the Family side will be in a few months as well. Read less

Before anything a piece of advise. Bring every thing you need because specially dentifric paste and sun screen protector. They don't offer free dentifric paste or brush (always free in others Hilton). Said that they Will sell you that in the store for acrazy overpriced cost ( for example: sunscreen 110 ml 25 USD, tooth paste 23 ml 3 usd, eléctrico adaptor plug 5 USD). If you want to pay something in cash bring USD dollars from your country. The money exchange un the hotel is abusive. The food is not amazing but is not bad neither. People Who work there usually are very nice and friendly specially Daniel from the beach, Marco, Berlín and Alberto from scruba Caribe. The room wasn't very nice probable the worst location (area 5) the views from the room neither. We expent 10 days there so we weren't very Happy with that We got some problems in the room but they always fixed that quick as possible. At 18h they close almost everything. There is not much to do at this point but have some drinks or eat. Read less

Overall, my experience wasn’t terrible, but was definitely below average for resorts at this price range (higher than most Punta Cana options) hence the 2 stars. Room: we stayed at the Adult/Premium section, with a swim out room. Overall, everything looks new and sleek, we enjoyed our room. The private pool needs some maintenance (lime stains and loose tiles) but nothing too critical. We have also found it to be conveniently located near restaurants and pools. Premium service: I’m still unsure if it was worth the price. Service level (not great) is pretty much the same, don’t expect any pampering. But it was convenient to have access to less crowded pool (albeit much less appealing than the sun facing infinity pool). I didn’t see much of a point using the VIP lounge, to be honest. I’m not in the Caribbean to stay in an air conditioned room with free appetizers and some drinks. I’d recommend to check for yourself if it’s worth for you. Food quality: breakfast is plentiful and we enjoyed most of it. Hot options a bit too greasy but nothing to critical. We’re late risers and often found quality to go down after 10:30am. As for dining, the Italian restaurant is the only one that we *really* enjoyed, with the French one coming second (both on the family side). The other ones were okay to good, and we were never impressed. I don’t expect to be wow’ed every time, but I was expecting the menus to be a bit more creative and refined. And please, stop serving rubbery stale bread for couverts. Drinks/bars: I’m not a heavy drinker nor have a demanding taste or anything, but I found the drink offerings here a total disappointment. Tropical cocktails were made using those ultra-sweet artificial slushees. I was craving for fresh Pina Coladas and they served me that instead, which I couldn’t finish. And so was the case for other fruit-based cocktails and some juices (outside of breakfast). Pineapples, for example, are plentiful there. There’s no reason to use that gross mixture. It’s just lazy. I also like to drink wines, and left even more disappointed. Unless you’re willing to pay 4-5x surplus on a average bottle, you’re stuck with the very same brand of Spanish wine throughout your stay. I’ve been to all-inclusive a where you have at least a few included options of different types of wines, with plenty more available a la carte if you want to pay extra. It was not the case here. Just the same cheap wine every time. I felt ripped off. Pools/beach: I enjoyed the pools, never overly crowded. Loud music at times but not too crazy. Some pools haven’t been refurbished yet and there are tiles coming off. One thing that pissed me off was the fact they shut down all pools at 6pm - they’re serious about it, and at 6:05 sharp there will be security staff rudely escorting you out. There’s no reason to close the pool so early other than staff shortage. Everyone around was pretty frustrated. The beach in La Romana is amazing though. The water is clear and chill. I truly enjoyed it. It is kind of small (not their fault), so there’s not a ton of space, but we didn’t have any problems. It was a highlight of our stay and where much of this resort potential lies. Service: as many people have mentioned, it can be VERY slow. Waiters won’t see you unless you wave extensively. Food will take long to come out. They won’t refill your water/drinks unless you ask (some waiters were a bit more proactive, so hit or miss). Beach service is so scarce you’d spend hours without seeing staff around. If you want a snack or a drink, go get it yourself (no pool bar/snacks available on the Adult side, need to walk into the Family side). I’ve heard from friends that service in the DR is not as proactive as in other Caribbean destinations, so perhaps this is the expected. While I was not expecting a butler level service, I wish they were properly staffed to offer a more attentive service. Tipping didn’t make a difference. I also had minor incidents with the Concierge – we requested - twice - a minor house cleaning service but no one never came. We were also offered a in-room breakfast for our last day but it never came... nobody cared to call us. I feel like service is just not well run. While the staff doesn’t seem to care for the extra mile (which is fine), most of the problems are just mismanagement. It can be solved. NYE Dinner: it was absolute madness, a total mess. Reservations were pointless, as they didn’t have tables for everyone. They told us they were expecting guests to eat and then release the tables – on a New Year’s party, whose the whole point is waiting until midnight. There was one lady playing hostess, and long lines of pissed off people. No one could give us accurate instructions (and we do speak Spanish). We were then placed on a table with strangers, who had already eaten. Food was okay (some items sold out and no desert left). Musical attraction was boring. Total disappointment. Smokers: I’m not complaining about the resort here – I’m not sure if they brand themselves as smoke free. This is a warning to folks who like me are sensitive to smoking, or simply dislike it. There are a LOT of (inconsiderate) smokers here... by the pool, at the beach, outside the restaurants, on the swim out pools. It was very annoying to me. Since there are ash trays everywhere, it doesn’t seem like they care much, which is fair enough - it’s just not the place for me. Had this vacation costed 30% less, this would have been a 4 star review, but that’s not the case. I expected more from Hilton. I can’t really recommend it. There are better options out there. Read less