Date of review:
Ok then, the Sirenis Cocotal is a great hotel, if you choose to stay at this hotel you will have a great holiday. The grounds around the hotel are fantastic, very we
ll maintained and really clean, the beach is beautiful but does have a tendancy to get a bit crowded towards the centre, if you walk down about fifty metres in either direction its a lot quieter. The breeze coming in from the sea makes it more than easy to sit out in the sun all day however the sun is unbelievably strong and if you dont have on a high factor sun lotion you wont feel yourself burning till its too late. We were there for two weeks and didnt drop below a factor 30 and we both still came back really tanned. The bars and restaurants are great, turning out a high standard of food and drink. The staff are really friendly, helpful, polite and the male members of the animation team will go out there way to make sure the ladies are never alone at any time and can be found most of the time around the pool chatting to anything in a bikini. However, there were a few things we didnt like about the place and all revolved around the accomodation. When we first walked into our room the first thing we spotted was the massive amount of rust all over and around the bath and its fixtures, it wasnt really a problem because you can only use the bath to stand in while you have a shower because there are no plugs at all. Also the beds, they are without doubt the most uncomfortable beds we've ever slept on. They are rock hard and we woke up every morning for the first week with either back pain or neck pain if not both. For a 4 Star hotel we expected a lot more. The other thing was the room safe. Again we expected this to come included in the all inclusive deal but unfortunatly not, also the iron, ironing board and tea and coffee making facilities were available but only if you paid for them. The safe will cost you 3 dollars a day with a fifty dollar deposit so on the first day you will spend 90 dollars for a two week stay just on the safe. The hotel does give you the option to upgrade your room to one of four packages that they do. The cheapest one will cost you 25 dollars a day per person, This appears to be how they make there money back but for a 4 Star all inclusive hotel you would expect these basics to be included.
We had a great time in the Dominican and we both agreed that we would go back there however we both agreed we would probably stop in another hotel.
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Date of review:1 Aug 2011
excelent holiday overall the food was ok but i am a fussy eater and got fed up with the food towards the end of the holiday . Booked trips through becky who did a gr
and job trying to look after a lot of british tourists.Staff very friendly and helpful although some of there english was interesting on few ocasions.entertainment team did an amazing job.The rooms did smell a bit damp but was ok.the monster truck safari is a must where you explore the real dominican saona was a lovely trip too.We didnt have any problems with sunbeds but some tourists were getting a towel on them at 6am but thats not a holiday worrying over that there was 4 of us and are towels went down after 9am no probs at all.
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Date of review:1 Aug 2011
Thoroughly enjoyed this holiday. Food was fabulous, staff fabulous, some fantastic excursions available to discover the island and sea, the beaches were fabulous and
the nightly entertainment team were always keen on pleasing the crowd.
Only downside was the airconditioning (other than in your room which was great) in the hotel. The system was pretty useless therefore when you were in the restaurant/buffet areas or the hotel reception or bar or the amphitheatre the heat was almost unbearable. After your meal your clothes felt as if you had been wearing them in a sauna for an hour!
The caribbean festival was an excellent trip and you were given the opportunity to touch a shark if you dare. Well worth the money and great for all ages, but be prepared to dance all afternoon on the boat on the way back because no-one got away without showing their moves!!
Would happily go again although would not pack any clothes with sleeves or long trousers because the poor air conditioning in communal areas meant these were impossible to wear at any time during our stay.
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Date of review:1 Jul 2011
The resort is in a very rural area and there is no where outside to walk. The resort is advertised as two resorts when in fact it is only one. The brochure descripti
on is "selective". It says there are various bars (12) and restaurants (9) when in fact, four of the evening bars are in two locations(2 in reception and 2 beside the entertainment theatre) and the remainder were not open in the evenings. There should have been a bar at the italian restaurant and a bar at the steak house too?
The restaurants are also publicised as many, when in fact 2 are in reception serving the same - one is an overflow of the other and the remainder you need to book but capacity is small and we were not able to visit all restaurants during the 2 weeks. The Italian restaurant was very nice and the Oriental restaurant was great. Food was excellent and service too. The daytime snackbar was not well organised, staff ignored you when they didnt want to serve you and they were slow to fill up dishes. Also food was not protected from the many flies and birds that were in the snackbar. The Mexican restaurant which was also held in the snackbar was very poor.
It was disappointing to be a captive audience and not really have any variety as such. The entertainment guys tried really hard but it was quite poor and not helped that for around 4 days we had some Miss/Mr South America competetion contestants who comandeered the evening showcase.
It might have been told about this prior to our departure. Obviously when you are quite isolated the evening entertainment is one way of breaking the evening.
In our room we had a leaky toilet for over a week despite reporting it and the fridge leaked constantly.
We will not return to this hotel we will return to the Riu Hotels that we have visited previously.
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Date of review:1 Jul 2011
Third time im Dom Rep, 2nd time at Sirenis. Our first was over Christmas and New Year in 2006 and we could not fault it then. Im not going to put it down now but mus
t say that the only thing that did bother us was from Friday to Sunday night, the whole place was invaded by locals who stay for the weekend. Their manners are non existent, both around the pool area and in the dining room. It becomes so busy and noisy that it ruins the tranquility of the place.
That said, the rest of the week was lovely. The grounds are so clean, tidy and pretty and the staff cant do enough for you and are very polite.
I heard people moaning about the food, but quite honestly I could not fault the variety, quantity and standard. People, if you want fish, chips and mushy peas, go to Benidorm. The food is cooked in traditional Dominican style but you can still get Bacon, Eggs and Sausage and beans for breakfast. Granted, its not exactly the same as home, but they do their best with whats available to them. The meat, veg, salads and fruit is plentiful and there are childrens options too.
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Date of review:1 Oct 2010
Having been to the Dominican 8 times over the last 7 years I regret to say this had to be the worst hotel we have ever stayed in.
Half the hotel was shut down due to
refurbishment ...however :-
Rooms - very tatty....tap loose in bathroom - bedding not changed..maid service not great....no towel art which is a special touch in every hotel
Food..mimimum choice - buffet quality acceptable - al a carte ok
Beach...disgusting - dogs roaming around and fowling on the sand yards in front of our sunbeds-knocking bins over scrounging for food
Pool...nice size & depth for swimming - however so many loose tiles it was a safety hazard
Casino - out of the way -had to play on tables in order to get a drink in a non airconditioned room at an all inclusive resort
Bar staff....not very freiendly at all-some quite rude
Entertainment - ok ..... animation team - friendly
Location - n/a as never leave complex
Flight - worst meals - stewards/stewardess only customer service interest was when selling also some attitudes quite abrupt on the usage of stairs to use restrooms.....restrooms downstairs bad set-up as caused alot of conjestion in one place
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Date of review:1 Jul 2010
I returned to the hotel after a two year absence to see some beautiful additions to the building and the sheer pleasure of being recognised as a returning customer.
The people at the hotel are the most charming people i have ever met, curteous without being in your face. As a solo traveller I did not have to pay a huge supplement and I was treated to the same services as those who travelled in groups or couples. The hotel is beautiful and although it can cater for a lot of people it never seems busy, even at meal times. The food is traditional buffet mix, with a heavy slant towards local; produce and dishes.The local beer is great and the of course rum is everywhere. The beach is sandy and clean and well shaded with umbrellas and palms-it is always possible to find sunbeds too. The hotel is also quite isolated and although this means there is a short transfer time and very little 'town life', it is ideal if you prefer not to be next door to many other hotels. The hotel has a very lively atmosphere with many activities across the age groups.
I had a fantastic two weeks and would quite happily go back again as I know that I will be treated well.
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Date of review:1 Jun 2010
Hotel was lovely although beds were very firm and so were pillows. superb swimming pools and facilities. Towel service excellent. Food was never very hot and was alw
ays covered in sauce inc vegetables. However there was lots of choice and their soups were fab. Shows were wonderful and staff worked hard to please the guests. Anyone thinking of going May/June it is very very humid - in fact humidity higher than temperature most days. We got an excellent deal with Thomas Cook for two weeks so was very pleased with holiday overall. Would go again but probably later in year when its not so humid
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Date of review:1 May 2010
What a fantastic holiday destination, the hotel is superb, all you could wish for, a tropical island paradise. By far the best holiday abroad we have had so far. Abs
olutely brilliant. The hotel couldn't do enough for us, the room was exceptional, very comfortable and clean, a great maid service. The food choice was out of this world, always something different to choose from so you wouldn't ever get to eat the same food in the whole of your two week stay unless you wanted it by choice. Restaurants were very good, great showmanship in the Asian/Oriental where its cooked in front of you, great choices to eat from. Great entertainment team, all very friendly, always attentive. Staff in the hotel, buffet restaurant, bar staff - all very friendly and make you feel welcome. The hotel rep, really did her job well, always on hand when she said she would be, and easily tracked down. Going above and beyond her duties to make sure everything was perfect for all staying at the hotel. Plenty of trips to go on should you choose to, and lots of activity from pool games to beach games and aerobics plus pool aerobics, archery, bike riding. Everything you could want to keep yourself and children amused, with a childrens club also. Spa with jacuzzi, gym, steam rooms and massages. Can't wait to go again. Beach nice and clean, without being hassled by anyone. Bbq , chefs cooking daily, well cooked and presented, cannot fault anything at all. Air conditioning on top form, on arriving back to hotel room, like walking into a fridge/freezer very welcome after being in the sunshine and heat all day. The market arrives every Tuesday so get practising on bartering for goods you want to buy. Our ages varied from 12 to 60 and we all had a brilliant holiday. Plus we made lots of new friends from others staying at the hotel, who we will keep in touch with, they've all threatened to return there as well. WELL DONE THOMAS COOK , AND THE SIRENIS COCOTAL HOTEL. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.
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Date of review:1 May 2010
Hi All. That was my best holidays ever. We spend there 14 nights in beautiful hotel, the resort is huge with lot of small buildings spread in palm forest. Because of
that you cannot feel you are in big and crowded hotel - which is great - especially if you want to be alone. From the first day we was fascinated with how the place looks. It was really hot even if the sun was out, temperature was still over 30 degree. Because of that I will recommend very high factor creams - 50 is minimum - especially for first week. We had 5 days of rain in total - but don't worry Animation team made that couldn't feel it. They are great - we had a lot of fun with them - constant games and fun. But one thing which you cannot miss is the theatre at 9 pm every day. All the plays are great - we have seen 12 of them and every day you have something different - Michael Jackson play, Grease , Dominican Show , Mama Mia etc. really good stuff. after that if you want to stay longer you have either casino or night club to choose. Night club has one minus - you have to pay for drinks which is around $5 per drink. But if you thinking to spend more time in night club you can buy different band = $35 per person at reception desk and have drinks for free !!!! worth if you like night club music and fun till 2am in the morning. If you like excursion - you will have plenty of them to choose - but out agent told us average price for it is around $60 - $80 but is little wrong real price is around $100 to even $150 for Dolphin encounter - but don't get me wrong some of them are worth the price!!! especially Dolphins they are worth every price!!! Bavaro Splash was $75 and it worth also! SO after 14 days I will say if you want great holidays with all inclusive go for it!!!!!!! Great place - great price - great fun !!!!!
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Date of review:1 Apr 2010
Excellent place to visit. People are so warm and friendly, they can't do enough for you. Food was excellent with a good variety every meal. My picky 15 year old didn
't live off chips for the whole holiday which makes a change.
Entertainment team worked hard all day and night to keep you busy. Kids entertainment at night before a different show every night (not repeated the 2 weeks we were there).
Rooms comfortable. Pool very clean. Beach wonderful. Enough loungers for everyone considering the size of the hotel.
We will be returning to this hotel without a doubt
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Date of review:1 Feb 2010
The Dom Rep is a beautiful island with wonderful friendly people. All the staff at the resort were so very helpfull and the food was delicious with 5 excellent resta
urants to choose from.We took the Premier up grade with Thomas Cook Flights and i must say the flight was excellent. it makes the holiday start with a bang.Once we got there the Thomas Cook Rep was just perfect in her meetings and helped us no end.We had a fabulas holiday on Dom Rep. weather was just perfect as was everything else. I would recomend this resort to everybody as they have all you need for a great time.
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Date of review:1 Jan 2010
Flight to Punta Cana from Gatwick was via Manchester. Was not informed of this when I booked holiday. It was written on the tickets in small print. Outgoing flight w
as very good. Have flown with Virgin in the past and I thought the Thomas cook flight was much more comfortable. Plenty of legroom (I am 5'10"), the food was better than the average plane food and the cabin crew were friendly.
Our holiday got off to a shaky start. Could not get our hotel room door open. It seemed to be warped at the base. When a bellboy eventually let us in, there were only 2 beds and 3 of us. I went to reception 4 times before eventually at 12.30 a.m. a camp bed arrived. My sister had one of the main beds which had a leg missing so tilted over to one side and one of the chairs was broken. The bathroom was scruffy and in need of renovation. At the welcome meeting next morning we spoke to the Thomas Cook Rep who assured us that she would get a change of room for us. That afternoon we were allocated to a far superior room, although slightly smaller.
The resort itself is stunning. Beautifully manicured gardens and the sort of beach you dream about. Finding a sunbed after 8 a.m was a problem. There just were not enough to accomodate so many guests. Although the resort is large it never felt crowded except in the evenings when everyone converged in the 2 main bar areas. Outside the hotel there is nothing, the Hotel has been built in the middle of nowhere but as we wanted a chill out week that wasn't a problem. Lived on the cocktails which were delicious! The food was ok and nobody seemed to be complaining about upset tums which was a relief.
Our flight home was good until we arrived at Manchester. Apparently they had taken off luggage that belonged to Gatwick passengers, so we sat on the tarmac for 2 hours 45 minutes before taking off again for Gatwick
To sum up. We had a lovely holiday in a beautiful resort but the rooms certainly need some updating. The flights were good and the Thomas Cook Rep in resort deserves a medal. She was friendly and always got the job done. Well done Thomas Cook. Shame about the delay at Manchester.
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Date of review:1 Oct 2009
All I can say is that if you are going to the Sirenis then you are in for a fantastic holiday!! Me, my husband and 15 year old brother were there for 2 weeks in Octo
ber and could not have asked for a better holiday. The animation team made it for us. They are fantastic. I enjoyed it so much that I have booked up and I am going back with friends in May. I would recommend this hotel to anyone who is looking for a fantastic holiday with great weather, great food and drink and excellent entertainment.
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Date of review:1 Oct 2009
Well we thought this holiday was excellent, great food, drink, fab weather most of the time, we only had acouple of rainy days which anybody can cope with. the accom
odation was fine and any problems with your room were dealt with immediately, the pool and swim up bar were fab and totally recommend trying some weird and wonderful coctails. The pool needed a little attention but maintenance work was going on all the time around the resort. We never saw the same meals twice over two weeks and had so much choice. The entertainment team were excellent and made sure you had plenty to do all day if you wanted it, they also put on a different show every night, All the staff were very friendly and welcoming, would definately recommend this resort for a holiday.
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Date of review:1 Aug 2009
Well as a family we have done all the Florida Theme Parks and the UK camping holidays. Well what a breath of fresh air this holiday was. Off the plane and onto the a
ir-conditioned coach straight to the resort. Booked in and in room in minutes. The normal things out of the window. Normally drive everywhere, go shopping for food and the cook in the self catering villa. Not here, food and drink all day, happy smiling staff who couldn't do enough to help. Entertainment for all ages from 09:30 to after midnight. the entertainment team were excellent. The beach was so close to the pool and the swim up bar my wife had to keep dragging me away. Ye the resort has seen some better days and the poolside needs a bit of TLC but most things could not be faulted.It is a must to go on the Dominican discovery megatrucks safari, Alex and his team made it such a great day. The buffet evening meals could be replaced twice a week with themed restaurants. The japanese is a must book, the Steak house was a bit naff. What a great time we all had, my 16 year old son said he had the best holiday ever, and the same goes for me and I'm 48. We all relaxed and chilled. we forgot about the UK and all our worries. Shame Thomas Cook planes gave me back ache, Airbus A330, they can keep them!!!!
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Date of review:1 Sep 2008
The sirenis cocotal hotel was amazing, much nicer than expected, beautiful decor and good facilities.
the food is exellent a huge selection including buffet and spec
ialities. the staff at the hotel were really friendly and entertainment was excellent, they have aerobics on the beach every morning and activities throughout the day. every evening there was a show great standard, great dancers!
The thomascook reps were on hand to ask any questions every morning and afternoon. Went on two
excursions outback safari was agreat insight to dominican life. Ocean world although quite a distance from the resort was amazing, we swam with dolphins there, both definatly worth it. The tour guides made sure our saftey and comfort came first. I liked to tip the staff, this is not compulsory but when you get good service you dont mind. I also really loved the spa very relaxing after a day on the beach. The resort is just like in the brochure , overal a beautiful and exceptional place we're going back next year :-)
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