Gran Ventana Beach Resort in the Dominican Republic

On a recent trip to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, my family and I stayed at the Gran Ventana Beach Resort. The resort is all-inclusive and cost us about $200 per night which is reasonable for its quality. The resort is relaxing from the moment you walk in and can see the ocean right from the lobby. We had a fun family vacation here and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for the same. Check-in was quick and easy and we were able to begin enjoying our vacation right away.

The all inclusive rates include all food and beverages (including alcohol), beach and pool access with lounge chairs and towels, a SCUBA dive lesson, one hour daily of biking, tennis, snorkeling, windsurfing, kayaking, or sailing, and live music and entertainment every night.

There were tons of activities to keep the whole family busy all week when we wanted to do something more exciting than just relaxing on the beach. There was beach volleyball, table tennis, water polo, aquarobics, beach Olympic games, bike tours, and darts. We visited during April, which is a quieter month for them, and never had any trouble getting access to any of these activities. We picked a different one of the one hour all inclusive activities each day to keep things exciting. The snorkeling was fun for our entire family as there was lots to see under the water. My husband and I enjoyed learning to windsurf even though we weren't very good at it. The kids were too young for the SCUBA lesson, but the adults found it interesting and are now considering getting certified because it was so fun. The kids participated in the Kid's Club for kids ages 4 to 12 almost every day and liked the programs put on by the staff. They were even able to take some Spanish lessons and practicing their new vocabulary with the staff. Don't worry - the staff is good about speaking and understanding English if your Spanish is not great.

If you are looking for something a little more exciting, water skiing, parasailing, jet skiing, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, and catamaran and banana boat rides are also available.

There are three pools in the resort. Children have their own pool and there is a separate one over on the quiet side of the resort for adults. The main pool also has a swim up bar.

There are three restaurants at the resort that are included in the all inclusive rate. Sapore di Mare has Italian food and was our kids' favorite. My husband and I preferred the Octopus Gourmet Restraurnat which has Caribbean food where we could try new things. The Ocean Grill features mostly seafood and we chose not to eat there since none of us like fish.

We found the whole resort to be very clean and were impressed to see everything being washed down each day. While the rooms were a little outdated, it didn't matter much since everything was kept so clean and the staff was friendly.

Our only complaint is the pushy beach merchants but you will find them just about anywhere! Gran Ventana is a great resort to spend a week at the beach with many activities to keep you busy for a reasonable price.