Okay...which hotel/resort were you at? We only travel from Boston by GWV

I wasn't there, my two Sons were and they stayed a Caribe Club Princess.
This was the Spring of 2005.

Santa, what a horrible story. I am so sorry they went through that. I hope they were both better once they got home.

That really is a horror story.. I don't think it's fair to paint ALL resorts in the D.R.with the same paint brush....As for the hepatitis we have yet to be at a resort where they did not have a spraying program in the evening. It is also true as to how a resort is rated by various charters...is it rated a 3, 4 or 5...and who is it rated by ...Apple appears to rate resorts a little higher than they should be. Just checked out the GWV book and that resort is not listed for them.. The Punta Cana area of all the areas in the D.R. is primed to be the biggest resort area (read that high end) in the Caribbean. with big names like Julio Ingles (he owns the airport) putting up condos, golf courses, marinas, etc.

The central point here is not whether a resort is rated 3/4/5 (most ratings from mass package wholesalers like TNT or GWV or Apple as well as guidebooks aren't credible since here's no global standard for the ratings), nor whether the hotel prays for mosquitoes (hepatitis has nothing to do with spraying and isn't prevented by it), it's instead whether the infrastructure(the hotel's as well as the municipal area's) & the food handling/sanitation codes enforced and the staff training for same is up to par. The continual
litany about problems in the DR at all
levels should bear close scrutiny, since
where there's smoke, there's generally also fire.

tivertonhouse,

You are so RIGHT!! I totally agree and this was my point all along. Also no spraying does nothing for the hepatitus factor.

Santa, so sorry for your kids horrible encounter. I know even 6 years ago people were going on vacation there from applevacations and had the same issues. On IV's and received high medical bills from the Dr.'s. Apple said to bad. We cannot help.

So I wonder what is Becca thinking??

My niece, nephew, sister and brother in law went on 3 separate vacations, with positive results. Loved the country, no illness, and planning return trips. DR is a HUGE destination for Canadians and Europeans, I have of course heard of illness, which would be a nightmare on vacation, but I think there are also thousands who visit with no illness.

I've read alot here at Casa Del Mar, can you compare it to the Iberostar in La Romana? Who one over the other? And has anyone here been to the Riviera Maya vs. La Romana. I'm in a total quandry as to where to go! Thanks Kathy

Since I have not been to that particular Iberostarthere is no way I can compare the two..I do know that I went to an Iberostar in PDC and had such a bad experience I dont want to try another...Ive a closed mind and as Parrot Pop says...I hold grudges...lol. Well, we are going back to Sunscape Casa del Mar for the 5tyh time on February 4th.. for a special "repeaters fiesta".. the first one.. If you want glitz, this is not for you,if you want a huge spread out resort thisis not for y ou... if you want a dozen restaurants and have to stand in line to make your one reservation at each place for the week....ths is not foryou.. If you like wearing a colored band on your wrist this is not for you.. But ifyou want a staff that actually loves working there, is very friendly, resort where you actually see the managers of the resort during the day checking the grounds, eating in the dining rooms...a staff that actually listens and does consider your questions and suggestions. this is it.. Oh.. I guess I said all that before..lol..

Tivertonhouse, what a great (succinct!) post. I've never been to the DR due to health concerns... not sure what the draw is for tourists other than low low prices. There are many other places and islands to visit that do not have these issues.

Santa--your story was frightening and hope everyone is doing OK now.

Thank you for your words.
Both boys are fine and they (we) have returned from another wonderful, family vacation to another Caribbean island.
It was a very frightening wake up call about how to look out for yourselves and be an aware adventurer and not a blind tourist.
However, a similar event could happen anywhere, even at a hometown restaurant.
It was the service staff "rebottling" the water which was the final straw as far as the DR is concerned.
Those individuals are dispicable!

Were the service staff really the ones to blame? I would think they likely were following orders from higher up in the chain-of-command.

I started this thread a couple of months ago and thought I would give you a brief update. My husband and I just got back from the DR. Neither of us got food poisoning, though I did get a sinus infection that rendered me in bed for a day. I will attribute us not getting food poisoning to the fact that we lived on bread and spaghetti noodles for five days - not because we were scared to eat but because the food was so terrible that we literally couldn't stomach anything else. Trip report to follow in a new thread for anyone that is interested.

Thanks for reporting back to us. We were at a resort in the DR many years ago, and have not been back to a resort there because the food was so bad. My husband goes back often for business, but only stays at the Renaissance. It is a very nice hotel with good food. Owa

Becca,
What resort were you in? We stayed at Secrets Escellence (now Excellence) in Punta Cana and had GREAT food and no illness. I really don't think it's fair to make gross generalizations regarding an entire country based on a few incidents. After all, we recently had two outbreaks of e-coli right here in the US. I do agree that sanitation standards are probably more strictly enforced here, but with good judgement, you can stay healthy in the DR.

I agree completely with above post. While a horrible thing to become ill on vacation, no-one can disagree with that, thousands and thousands visit the Dominican Republic each year with no ill effect. People choose this destination because its affordable to many, and it does offer spectacular vistas, beautiful beaches, swaying palms, and warm weather. Something hundreds of thousands Canucks chase each year with positive results for most because they keep returning!

I read Becca's recent post and I don't think she was condemning the DR in general just her resort. I think it is good to post back and tell us that the resort had horrid food.
I am sure there are many good places to go there as well. I have wondered about trying a trip there in the future, but have heard numerous stories about stomach bugs. I guess you have to be careful. The higher end resorts should have edible food and water.

I knew I would receive criticism for making a statement about the food in the DR, but I feel like I need to tell people anyway to save someone from having the disappointing experience we had. The reason I made a broad statement about DR's food was because while waiting at the airport and while sitting on the plane on the way back home I spoke with several people who stayed at several different resorts throughout Punta Cana. They all had a similar experience.

If you re-read my last post, you will see that I made no gross generalizations about food poisoning but about the quality of the food (the type of food served to us and the taste). I agree that food poisoning can be found anywhere - obviously we know this from the recent e. coli outbreaks across the United States. In addition, if you read my first post, you will find that I myself contracted e. coli while visiting a resort in Antigua three years ago where I thought the food tasted pretty good. Unfortunately, we just never know what is safe and what isn't.

I am working on my trip report and will most likely post it tonight. The resort where I was staying was the Riu Taino, Punta Cana.

I apologize if I made you feel critisized, you have every right to post your sentimemts, and well you should. I believe the point I was trying to make (but did not do it very well) was that while there are issues at certain resorts with food and illness there are probably many many more people who have visited with positive results than negative ones. People will be aware of the resort you mentioned now.

And I'm sorry for being hypersensitive. I agree that many more people come back from their DR vacations well than sick (other than my sinus infection which had nothing to do with the DR, my husband and I both stayed well). In writing my trip report, I am attempting to give a balanced view of the Riu Taino (the good and the bad) and while I am very critical of my accomodations and the food, it can't be denied that the people were very friendly and the palm tree-lined beaches are gorgeous. I hope this will come through in the trip report when I post it later today.