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Occidental Punta Cana: My honest review after staying
Occidental Punta Cana: My honest review after staying
We use affiliate links at no extra cost to you. This helps us pay for the hotels we visit ourselves, so we can give honest reviews and point out the negatives without pressure.
If you are looking at prices in Punta Cana and suddenly see the Occidental Punta Cana for $160 a night (literally half of what most 5-star resorts cost), you are probably asking yourself: “What's the catch?”
On paper, they are selling you a 5-star resort right on the beachfront of one of the best beaches in Bávaro. The price is tempting, almost irresistible if you compare it to the $400 USD that its neighbors cost.
But are you really paying for accessible luxury, or are you buying a basic hotel with a premium label?
After staying there, I'm here to tell you the reality without sugarcoating the good or the bad. I'm going to explain why this hotel can be a great option if you are on a tight budget, but I'm also going to warn you about what you are going to encounter at the buffet, the rooms, and the hotel in general.
If you want to know if saving that money is worth it or if you are going to regret it when it comes time to eat, keep reading.
Table of Contents
1. My quick take on the Occidental Punta Cana
If you're in a rush, here is my quick review: The Occidental Punta Cana is a visually pretty, quiet option with an excellent beach, but you must be clear that, although it says 5 stars at the entrance, the actual experience is that of a basic 4-star hotel.
For $160 a night, the hotel delivers if your priority is sun, beach, and pool without spending much. The general facilities are pleasant, and the spa is spectacular (one of the best and prettiest I've seen, with an incredible smell). Plus, the beach pleasantly surprised me by being cleaner of sargassum than other hotels in the same area on the same dates.
The big “but”? The dining and service. This is where you notice the price. The buffet is weak (I give it a 6/10 being generous), with little real variety, food without much flavor, and juices that are basically syrup with water. Also, the service is slow: no one comes to offer you water or beer at the table if you aren't on top of it.
Conclusion: It is a decent option if you are looking for a very budget-friendly “all-inclusive” and you aren't picky about food. If you come expecting luxury, first-class attention, or a gourmet experience, you are going to get frustrated. It is a hotel to enjoy the sea while paying half the price, accepting that the quality also drops by half.
It may iterests you: All-inclusive resorts in Punta Cana: My List After staying at 14.
2. Pros and Cons of the Occidental Punta Cana Resort
✅ Unbeatable price: This is its main selling point. Paying $160 a night right on the beachfront is almost a gift in Punta Cana. It literally costs half as much as its competitors.
✅ The spa (surprising): It was the big surprise of my stay. It is beautiful, smells incredible, and has very well-maintained areas with a sauna and private Jacuzzi cabins. The only thing in the hotel that really feels like 5 stars.
✅ The beach: Very clean and pleasant. I was surprised to see less sargassum here than at other luxury hotels in the same area. The sea was perfect for swimming.
✅ Main pool: It is visually very pretty, aesthetic, and large. Although there were people, it didn't feel overwhelming.
❌ The buffet (disappointment): This hurts. Food without much flavor, little real variety, hard potatoes, and juices that are pure syrup with water. I give it a 6/10 on a good day.
❌ Slow service: In the restaurant, no one comes to offer you water or beer if you aren't on top of flagging them down. You can notice a lack of staff or motivation.
❌ Maintenance in common areas: Although the room was renovated, the building hallways were crying out for help. Next to our room, there was a leak so big we joked that it looked like Azkaban (the prison in Harry Potter).
3. Occidental Punta Cana Map Explained
Although at first glance it might look like a maze of buildings, the hotel design is quite intuitive: a big central avenue with gardens and pools leading you straight to the ocean. I've marked the key zones in this photo so you know where to take refuge from the noise or where to look for more action.
Here is an explanation of each zone:
4. The Pools and the Beach: Where the Hotel Scores Points
If the hotel falls short on food, it makes up for it in the water area. For the price you pay, the outdoor facilities are visually very pretty and more than adequate for a sun and beach vacation.
The main pool (the lagoon): It is huge and aesthetically very well-maintained. The good thing is that, although there were people, it is so big that you don't get that overwhelmed feeling found at other hotels. It has hydro-massage jets, a shallower area for children, and a quite large swim-up bar that provides shade for part of the day.
The warning: watch out for the sun. There is barely any natural shade around this pool, so if you are going with kids or have sensitive skin, make sure to snag an umbrella early or slather yourself in sunscreen.
The relax pool (the refuge): If the music and movement of the main one tire you out, go to the other large pool I marked in the black square. It is much more solitary and quiet. It was my perfect spot to read and relax with hardly anyone around.
The beach (the big surprise): Here I got a pleasant surprise. I don't know if it was luck or management, but the beach was surprisingly cleaner of sargassum than other luxury hotels in the area on the same dates. It is a wide, pleasant strip of sand where you can swim comfortably.
In summary: You have a 10/10 beach and spacious pools that aren't overwhelming. If you are coming to roast in the sun and swim, you are going to be happy.
5. Food: This Is Where You Notice the Price
Being totally honest, this is where the hotel reminds you that you paid $160 USD and not $500. If you come expecting a 5-star gourmet experience, you are going to be disappointed. To me, the food is basic 4-star quality.
The main buffet (the big weakness): I give it a 6/10. In fact, I liked the buffet at other hotels that are cheaper than this one better.
À la carte restaurants: We tried dinner and the feeling was “nothing special.” You have to get the appetizers yourself from a sort of buffet (a bit tacky for being “à la carte”) and the service was so slow that, after waiting more than 10 minutes for them to bring dessert, we decided to leave without trying it. The main dish was fine, but nothing you wouldn't see at any other standard hotel. My score: 6.5/10.
What saves the food (the sweet touch): Not everything is bad. There is a lady who makes crêpes who is lovely. The crêpes are homemade, prepared with the topping you want, and are very tasty. It was one of the few things I really enjoyed, although there is usually a line for a couple of minutes.
Watch out for the desserts: You can tell most are industrial, like the ones you see in a supermarket. You're better off heading straight for a crêpe.
Room service: Although it is “All-Inclusive,” room service has an extra cost. Keep this in mind if you are someone who uses this service on vacation.
6. The Rooms: Highs and Lows
Here I had an experience of total contrasts. On one hand, I liked the room a lot; on the other, getting to it was an adventure (and not a good one).
The room (the good part): We got a renovated room, and honestly, it was very good. It was spacious, with two large, very comfortable beds and two sofas that turn into beds, perfect if you are going with kids. Plus, the terrace was large and had nice views of the gardens.
Cleanliness: Decent; everything looked new and well-kept inside the room.
The building and common areas: Here comes the shocker. Although the room is modern, the building itself isn't renovated, and you can really tell. The common areas of the blocks are old and neglected. In fact, next to our door, there was quite a large leak (it doesn't ruin your experience, but it's something you don't forget).
The Wi-Fi (a disaster): If you need to work or upload stories to Instagram, arm yourself with patience. The internet is terrible. Inside the room, it works okay-ish, but as soon as you leave and change zones, it cuts out or runs extremely slow. Don't count on it.
7. The Spa: A Great Surprise
If the buffet was a letdown, the spa was just the opposite. In fact, I’d go as far as to say it is the best part of the hotel and the only thing that truly feels like superior luxury.
What you find: As soon as you walk in, you realize it’s a whole other world. It smells incredible (that real spa scent that relaxes you instantly) and the decor is gorgeous, very well-maintained, and elegant. It is an oasis of silence in the middle of the resort.
Facilities: It is very well equipped. It has a sauna, romantic zones for couples, and—what I liked most—private cabins with Jacuzzis. If you are travelling as a couple, booking a slot here is totally worth it to unplug from everything.
The Staff: Here the service was truly a 10/10. The girls at the entrance and the therapists are super kind and professional, nothing like the lack of enthusiasm we saw in the restaurant.
8. Conclusion: Is the Occidental Punta Cana Worth It?
After my stay, my verdict is clear: it depends entirely on your budget and your expectations. If you find a deal for half the price of the competition, the hotel does the job: a comfortable bed, pretty pools, and a spectacular beach. In that sense, the value for money is good.
However, don't be fooled by the stars at the entrance. It is not a real 5-star hotel; it is a basic 4-star. Comparing it to the many other resorts I stayed at on this trip, this is the simplest of them all. The dining is several steps below the best all-inclusive hotels in Punta Cana (link to “all-inclusive hotels in Punta Cana”).
My final recommendation: If you are coming to enjoy the sea, get a tan, and unplug at the spa without spending a fortune, you’ll be fine. But if for you a vacation is synonymous with eating very well and having drinks served instantly at your lounge chair, this hotel will fall short.
11. Who do I recommend it for?
It is for you if:
It is NOT for you if:
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