Impressive Premium Punta Cana

Sarah H

Impressive Punta Cana is a 900 room all-inclusive hotel with some lovely staff and a perfect location right on the beach. Bear in mind a lot of seaweed can cover the beach, which is constantly being removed. The beach was not very crowded and there were ample amount of lounge chairs available. The hotel also has a Premium service which you can pay to upgrade to, giving you access to other areas and restaurants. My son and I stuck to the standard service. I had a bit of a bumpy start as I had booked an ocean view room but I ended up with a view of the pool and bar with the ocean obscured. I made a complaint and they changed the room the next day. It was a bit better but still obscured by trees. The actual ocean view rooms are the junior suites which I think is a bit misleading. Also before I could go to my room, I was accosted by Querby who took me to the tour seller even though I said I was tired. I did end up booking some excursions which I have reviewed elsewhere. The next day, I was told I would have 'breakfast' with a rep from the Heritage Travel Club. I was getting time share vibes and I asked if I was going to be sold anything but Querby did not explain. When I got there I was told it was a membership which involved paying a fee. Right off the bat I said I was not interested so did not want to do the tour. Querby got annoyed and was quite rude which I mentioned in the hotel survey. Apart from that, all the other staff were lovely, from the room cleaning staff, the restaurant staff and the bell boys. Tipping is well appreciated, so bring your dollars. The main bedroom was spacious with a balcony. The bathroom could do with a bit of modernisation. Also, toilet paper needs to be placed in the basket available, not in the toilet due to clogging issues. Tap water also should not be drank or used to brush teeth. The buffet serves traditional Dominican food, of bean stews, as well as desserts, fruits, vegetables and salads, pasta, rice etc. I found the food quite monotonous and the meats quite dry. The hotel itself is very lively with music in the bars, the foyer by the pools where aqua aerobics takes place even in the buffet restaurant. I found it a bit too noisy at night as our room was right next to the bar at the sea front. There was even a cleaner who sweeps outside and he is singing very loudly quite early in the morning before 7am and noise carries a lot from the corridors. The are a few English speaking staff so we were able to get our needs met. Over all, the hotel is a beautiful well kept resort which could do with a few modern touches as mentioned. I personally would have preferred some where a bit quieter.

Hanna Vieira

Very disappointing experience, especially for a Premium stay. Our problems started as soon as we arrived. The entire hotel was without electricity, so we had to wait and eventually check into our room using our phone flashlight. Our room had a very strong mold smell, and the building we stayed in was clearly older than some of the newer areas of the resort. There were also several renovations happening, a closed pool, construction, and strong paint smells around the property. However, the most serious situation happened with my mother and her husband. They requested two beds on an upper floor, but were given a room with one bed on the ground floor. After returning to reception, they were given another room. When we opened the door, there were already guests staying inside. Yes — the hotel gave us a key to a room that was already occupied. The hotel system apparently showed the room as vacant even though people were staying there. This was extremely uncomfortable and, more importantly, a serious security issue. After this happened, I did not feel completely safe staying at the resort for the rest of our six-night stay. They were then moved to a third room, which had such a strong mold smell that we could not stay inside. Eventually, they had to return to the first room because it was considered the “least bad” option. We also paid for Premium, which includes assistance with restaurant reservations. On my mother’s first night, however, nobody was available to make the reservations because the person responsible for Premium bookings would only arrive the following morning. Unexpected problems can happen at any hotel, but this was far beyond that. Power outage, mold, multiple room changes, renovations, unavailable Premium services, and most importantly, being given access to an occupied guest’s room. For a Premium stay, we expected a much higher standard of organization, maintenance and security. The room-access incident alone is something the hotel should take very seriously.

Jessica Bujacz

Our first time at an all-inclusive but a wonderful time. Booked through Costco, shuttle to and from resort included and not far from hotel, wonderful entrance and relaxing atmosphere, smooth stay from beginning to end. Make sure to go to BB King to book excursions in the main lobby, get chocolate and caramel fraps in the main lobby coffee and cocktail bar, they helped us nicely to our room, gave us an info brochure, easy to book dinners online from your phone, rooms clean and well-maintained, loved the big bathroom, cleaning carts out in the hallways every day for hours, fresh towels and fridges always full, very nice and respectful staff, we had a room close to the beach, went in the off season and didn’t mind the seaweed it was still absolutely beautiful and beach maintained and clean always, beautiful views and good drinks. Umbrella in room in case it rains a++. Only thing I wish I did was get a massage and pizza not the best but it sits under a heat lamp so it’s to be expected. Fantastic omelet bar and yogurt bar in the buffet, loved the selections of bread, French toast, pancake section, etc. Special thank you to Rosa for the amazing breakfast service and mimosas!! Fantastic job. Also special thanks to our favourite bartender Karen, and truly the entire staff at the beach bar were awesome, literally every single one. Diomaris makes the best mojitos. Daniel at on the grill also awesome, everyone was really nice and amazing so please make sure to bring tip money for the awesome staff. I can see why some reviews say the food could be repetitive but it’s why you should also book dinners at the other places in the resort. Events and activities unites every day and night too. Overall beautiful time.

Sahil Vig

We recently stayed at the resort for a very special trip — our late honeymoon and first anniversary celebration. Overall, we had a wonderful vacation, although our experience had a disappointing start. We had specifically booked an ocean-front room, but at check-in we were told we had received a complimentary suite upgrade. Once we reached the room, we realized it was not ocean-front and later learned that our originally booked room was unavailable that night. I wish this had been communicated transparently from the beginning rather than simply presented as an upgrade. We agreed to stay there for one night and move the following day. Our assigned butler was also already off duty when we arrived, so unfortunately we received no resort orientation and had to figure out the facilities, activities and restaurant reservations ourselves. I feel the resort should have arranged for another team member to give arriving guests at least a brief introduction. Everything started changing for the better once we met Grace the next morning. Grace was warm, attentive and genuinely eager to help. She assisted with our room change and made sure we received the ocean-front room we had originally booked. When we found the room quite warm, she also arranged an additional fan, which made us much more comfortable. The room temperature/AC is definitely one area I feel the resort could improve, especially since the reception, spa and enclosed restaurants were noticeably cooler. From there, Grace truly elevated our vacation. She kept us updated about the many activities happening around the resort, made our restaurant reservations, arranged a wonderful hydrotherapy spa experience and checked on us every day — even when everything was perfectly fine. She also recommended excursions, including Saona Island, which we absolutely loved. There was so much to enjoy at the resort — beach and pool activities, silent disco, circus, neon party and especially the Dominican show, which was our favourite. For dining, we loved On the Grill for steaks and Yakimeshi for the live-cooking experience, where the chef was also wonderful about allergies. We enjoyed Villa Magna as well, and the frappes from Palm Coffee Shop were a favourite! Tourmaline, Arena Sports Bar and Beach Premium Bar were our go-to spots for drinks. By the end of our trip, Grace felt less like our assigned butler and more like a local friend guiding us through our vacation. She even handled our checkout so smoothly that we didn’t have to worry about any of the formalities. There are certainly areas where the resort could improve — particularly check-in transparency, orientation for guests when their butler is unavailable, and room air conditioning. However, Grace deserves tremendous recognition. Her kindness, consistency and genuine care completely changed our experience and helped turn a frustrating beginning into a beautiful honeymoon and anniversary vacation. Thank you, Grace, for taking such wonderful care of us and for making our first Punta Cana experience so memorable. ❤️🌴

Tim Barnett

Let me start by saying that you will still enjoy your holiday, but the Impressive feels like a shadow of its former self. The first thing you notice is the smell. There’s no getting away from it – a pungent odour regularly wafts across parts of the resort, and it’s far from pleasant. The reception staff were, without question, the worst I’ve ever dealt with. They allocated the wrong rooms on arrival, meaning we had to wait until the following day for the issue to be corrected. After repacking and returning to reception, our names weren’t even on the room-change list, and the manager, Roy, actually accused me of lying. Thankfully, the gentleman I’d spoken to the previous day came on shift and confirmed what had happened. Even then, there was no apology from the manager. Check-out was equally poor. Everyone is expected to leave by midday, yet there were only two members of staff dealing with both check-ins and check-outs. The overriding impression is that they simply don’t care. Arrogant is probably the best word to describe the reception team. The rooms are old and dated, certainly not luxurious in any way. Ours had mould, deteriorating mastic around the bathroom, and broken drawer fronts – all signs of a hotel that needs significant investment. We spent most of our time around the Relax Pool, but unfortunately that too felt neglected. The water wasn’t being skimmed properly and, even first thing in the morning, there was a visible layer of sun cream residue on the surface along with numerous dead insects. Shade is also in very short supply, so don’t be afraid to reserve a sunbed early if that’s important to you. The food was generally good with plenty of variety, and I have no major complaints there. Service, however, was inconsistent. Sometimes drinks were offered promptly, while other times you had to actively seek someone out. A self-service drinks station would make a big difference. One real highlight was the coffee shop. The staff there were genuinely friendly, and it was a lovely addition to the resort. The on-site shops are incredibly expensive. Expect to pay around $33 for sun cream and $35 for insect repellent. Bring plenty of both with you, as the mosquitoes are relentless and good protection is essential. Overall, the hotel feels tired and in need of refurbishment, and too many of the staff seem to have forgotten what hospitality is about. That’s a real shame, because the rest of our trip to the Dominican Republic was fantastic and filled with genuinely positive experiences.