Ocean Blue & Sand, Punta Cana

Relaxing stay, great service and dont miss Pinky!

We had a very good stay at Ocean Blue & Sand. The resort is clean, well maintained and extremely walkable. A courtesy cart passes by often, which makes getting around the property really easy if you dont feel like walking. The pools and beach areas are beautiful, and the staff were consistently friendly and helpful throughout our stay. The food was solid with a good variety, and the rooms were spacious and comfortable, although a few areas could use some minor updating. The beach is lovely, and the team works hard to manage the seaweed when it comes in. One of my favorite little things about the resort was Pinky, the resident flamingo. Pinky seemed to have a favorite spot and was almost always hanging out in the same area when we went by. Such a cool and unexpected little character to have wandering around a resort, and apparently Pinky has quite the following with returning guests too! One thing to be aware of: when you arrive, youll likely be approached about a Premier/Privilege package presentation. The staff are very persuasive, and the process can take up a good part of your day, so I would decide ahead of time whether youre actually interested. If not, a polite but firm no will save you some vacation time. There also isnt much to do immediately outside the resort within walking distance, so if you want to explore Punta Cana or the surrounding area, youll generally need to book an excursion or arrange transportation. Overall, we had a relaxing and enjoyable all-inclusive stay with great service, beautiful grounds and very good value. And really how many resorts come with their own resident flamingo? I would definitely consider staying here again.

5 star experience at this 5 star resort!

Best vacation ever!!!!! The ocean is beautiful, the food is delicious, and the staff is so so sweet and friendly!!! My Mom and I stayed in a Privilege suite and can definitely recommend the upgrade building 6 right next to the beach, oceanfront breakfast & lunch, and dinner reservations handled by our amazing butler Thomas, thanks so much! The beach is incredible, they had fun events every night (like circus performances and fire shows!) plus watersports available like kayaking! And theres a bowling alley and even archery lessons provided! The staff works tirelessly all day to ensure a positive guest experience; please remember to bring cash for tipping! Youll be happy to have a way to say thanks for the wonderful services you receive, from dining to drinks to housekeeping to butler service! Special shoutout to the Privilege beach staff for taking such good care of us!!!!! Gabriel, Wilmer José, and Carlos Moreta are all so sweet, thoughtful, and considerate!!!! They made sure we had everything we needed and always went the extra mile to make sure we were comfortable. And the Privilege breakfast staff was so wonderful as well! Elvin is such an amazing waiter, and Wilmina is such a great host! Every aspect of our trip was unforgettable; I cant recommend this place enough to those looking for a relaxing getaway to a tropical paradise!

Excellent at this time of year.

Arrival and Check-in We arrived at the resort after around a 30-minute transfer from the chaotic Punta Cana airport. It was so busy that staff had stopped X-raying luggage, and nobody asked to see our visa barcode. My advice at the airport would be to keep your head down, get through as quickly as possible and make your way out. You really dont need help from anyone, as everything is within a relatively short distance. Check-in at the resort was quick and straightforward. We were given a brief introduction to the hotel, including information about the restaurants and facilities. We were also handed a pamphlet with a QR code that took us to the hotel app, where you could check daily activities, book restaurants and find other useful information. We were then taken to our room in Block 4 by buggy. Our Room The room was clean, well-equipped and had everything we needed for our stay. There were two large, extremely comfortable king-size beds, along with a sofa and desk. We had no complaints about the room and found it a comfortable place to relax after a busy day. Restaurants and Food We took full advantage of the speciality restaurants during our stay. American Diner The food was great every time we ate here. My daughter absolutely raved about the pork belly burger, while I had the brisket, which was lovely. We both enjoyed a fantastic milkshake as well. Italian Restaurant We ate here twice, and the food was excellent on both occasions. We tried a variety of dishes, all of which were very well cooked, beautifully presented and extremely tasty. Steakhouse Again, both visits were excellent. We didnt stray from the picanha steak, as its a cut of meat you rarely come across in the UK. If you enjoy steak, I would definitely recommend trying it medium-rare. Fantastic! Japanese Restaurant The food itself was excellent, but unfortunately, the overall experience was let down by the behaviour of some of the other guests. You are seated with around 12 other people in a U-shape around the hotplates, where the chefs cook your food in front of you and interact with the guests as they go along. Sadly, one family occupied much of our table, and three members of that family were constantly on their phones. Im not sure whether this annoyed the chef, but it certainly annoyed me. Unfortunately, there wasnt much interaction between the chef and the table. The food was good, with chicken, beef, shrimp, salmon and fried rice. Its a restaurant where the experience should be about enjoying the food and watching the chef cook, so it was a shame that the behaviour of others detracted from it. Main Buffet Restaurant Like most all-inclusive buffets, the food can become a little samey from day to day. However, there was plenty of well-cooked, tasty food to choose from throughout our stay. Our personal favourite was the butter chicken, which was served a couple of times during our visit. Mikes Coffee House This place was amazing! Fantastic coffee, plenty of cakes and, without a doubt, some of the friendliest staff in the hotel. We were always given a warm welcome, no matter when we walked through the door. A lovely place to stop for a coffee and something sweet. Pools and Sunbeds The pool areas are vast, and I suspect we may have been visiting during the off-season. Apart from the weekends, when there was an influx of Dominican guests, the pools were generally very quiet. We never had an issue finding a sunbed with an umbrella, although I imagine this could be a different story during peak season. We also noticed a couple of accommodation blocks undergoing maintenance, which would presumably have reduced the hotels available capacity during our stay. The pool nearest reception seemed to be the quieter pool, while most of the daytime entertainment took place in the pool next to it. Entertainment The entertainment seemed fairly similar to what you find at most resorts in this part of the world. Were night owls, so we didnt catch everything, but we did see a decent rock band and a Dominican band during our stay. Overall, there was nothing offensive about the entertainment, although it wasnt something we particularly went out of our way to experience. Beach The beach area is fine, but its not somewhere we would choose to spend most of our time. The seaweed was a bit of a pain, although I appreciate theres only so much the resort can do about a natural occurrence like that. Staff and Wildlife All the staff we encountered were lovely, friendly and more than willing to engage in conversation. There is also plenty of wildlife to have a nosey at as you wander around the resort, which adds a bit of interest to your walks. If youre not particularly steady on your feet or simply dont fancy walking everywhere, theres a constant golf buggy service that goes around the resort, stopping at each accommodation block, the main restaurant and reception. Gym and Running Although I didnt use the gym myself, it looked very well-equipped. I preferred to get out and run along the roads instead. Overall Experience We had one issue during our stay, but the hotel dealt with it promptly, which was appreciated. Overall, we had a really enjoyable stay and wouldnt hesitate to return, particularly at this time of year. The resort has plenty to offer, the rooms are comfortable, the speciality restaurants were generally excellent, and the staff made us feel welcome. For us, it was a relaxing holiday with plenty of good food and comfortable surroundings. A Few Recommendations for the Hotel There are just a few things I think the hotel could address to make the experience even better. 1. Mobile phones in the Japanese restaurant I would strongly recommend introducing a no-mobile-phone policy during the Japanese restaurant experience. If guests need to take a call, they should step outside rather than disturb everyone else who is trying to enjoy the meal. 2. FaceTime and loudspeaker conversations Please discourage guests from using FaceTime or having loud conversations on speakerphone in restaurants. Having someone talking to family members over FaceTime while youre trying to enjoy a nice meal is not acceptable, and unfortunately, this was a constant disturbance during our experience. 3. Smoking and vaping around the pools Smoking and vaping around the swimming pools should simply be a no. Its not pleasant for people who are trying to relax, swim and enjoy their holiday. These are all matters of basic common courtesy, something that unfortunately seems to have been forgotten by some people. Final Verdict A very enjoyable stay, with excellent food in the speciality restaurants, comfortable accommodation, friendly staff and plenty of space to relax. There are a few things that could be improved, particularly when it comes to guest behaviour in restaurants and around the pools, but these issues didnt stop us from having a great holiday. We would happily return, especially at this time of year.

2nd visit for us.

Our 2nd stay in ocean blue & sand,we were there 8 years ago for hubby's 50th birthday & had a lovely stay then so decided we would go back again. Check in went smoothly & our luggage was taken to our room before we got there as it was our honeymoon nothing at all was done for us but it wasn't the end of the world,we celebrated hubbys birthday while we were there but there was nothing done for him. We booked a deluxe garden room which was very spacious the bed was huge & so was the shower but it took ages for the water to warm up, the only downfall was we were on the top floor & the stairs got a bit too much at 1st,our maid was very thorough & was always spotless & clean our bed sheets was cleaned every day & fridge stocked up but Only water juice or beers which I didn't like, I always use my own towels but hubby was happy with there own ones. As we have been here before we knew where everything was we had breakfast in the buffet & there's ever so much choice nice fresh & warm. We had no bother getting a sun lounger by the pool every day & we never seen it getting cleaned the whole time we were there the only problem was the amount of people round the pool bar not getting out to use the toilet some was there as soon as the bar opened at 10am. The bar tenders was always friendly & happy. The resort has not changed much only the seaweed on the beach there was a few people mostly young adults in the water personally we would not go in. They had tractors out doing there best but it was still bad. There was always security at the beach & we only seen 2 venders walking up & down but they were not hassling people. We tried the steak house a few times & the Italian we also went to route 66 twice the menus had a lot of choice there's no need for people not having something nice in them, we did try to get in blue moon but hubby had 3/4,s on so they would not let us in. All the eating places were very clean & the food was fresh & plenty on your plate. We always went to the lobby bar for a few drinks ,the waitresses were always friendly we always gave them a tip & they soon get to know what you need as soon as you sit down. All the staff were always friendly we got friendly with Jose in the buffet restaurant he knew how we took out drinks I always take my own cup & t-bags & once I told him milk 1st then hot water he knew straight away the next day,we would feed the mother cats & there kittens little bits of ham & bacon but when pinky the flamingo knew we were feeding them she was always there pecking at there heads so she could have there food she walked round the resort very elegantly & belonged there. Overall we had a brilliant holiday & we would definitely return in the future so go with an open mind & rest assured you will have a great time.