I have to admit, after reading so many negative reviews before going, I was second guessing my decision but the minute I stepped off the shuttle I knew it was gonna be a good one! With all the little shops that lined the drive, the immaculate grounds, and breath taking lobby, I was pleasantly relieved and ready for a great vacation.
Your Arrival: Check-In
We were greeted with a happy, friendly “hola” from behind the front desk. Check-in was painless and the bellhop was there ready to take our luggage to our room. We were presented with a package listing all the property amenities, restaurant hours, activity schedule, property map, etc. which came in very handy.
Rooms:
Pretty standard hotel room (L-109). Two beds, small table, three chairs, desk, tv with English channels (not the best reception but really, who’s there to watch tv…you’re in paradise). It was dark when we checked in so didn’t realize until the next morning that we actually had an ocean view room…FABULOUS!!! The sound of the waves and smell of the ocean just made our stay that much more enjoyable! We actually left our patio door open each night without incident of bugs or other creatures coming in. Standard bathroom, plenty of towels each day. Shower leaked on the first day but that was our mistake :S Fridge was stocked with water and pop every day. We did leave the cleaning staff small gifts with a note and/or cash each day to say thanks for cleaning up after us. We received fresh flowers on our beds and in the bathroom every day as well…nice extra little touch!
Restaurants and Bars: Restaurants Lots to choose from. Tried both the buffets which unfortunately are exactly the same but that’s to be expected when you’re catering to 1,000+ guests each day. Variety of foods at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lunch and dinner were pretty similar and became repetitive after 7 days but nothing to complain about…still lots to choose from. Poolside lunch buffet was really good with different choices (burgers, salads, nachos, etc)…was a nice change. Beach bbq was also really good with burgers, hotdogs and chicken to choose from. We found the buffet hours to be odd – Breakfast 7-10; Lunch 1-3; Dinner 7-10, but again, definitely nothing to complain about, and after all, we were in a different country with different customs and ways of doing things so it was all good. We tried the Italian Restaurant which was very good…super friendly staff…great food…nice atmosphere. We also tried the Steakhouse which again was very good….superb staff who introduced us to the mamajuana (woohooo)…great atmosphere with everyone in cowboy hats…so cute ;D Bars
ALL the bartenders and bar staff were unbelievably friendly and happy, always singing and dancing…so much fun! I love that! Drinks were great…Coco Loco is by far my new favourite drink…morning, noon and night…mmmm, sooo good :}
Beach/Pools/Grounds: Pool Pool is huge and goes on forever. Didn’t actually go in and regret that but did watch people playing and having fun, utilizing the swim-up bar, playing volleyball, etc. Didn’t find it crowded at all and actually thought that the pool was underutilized at times. Lots of lounge chairs around but most are saved and often times, vacant for hours on end which is a shame. We had no problems finding a chair on the days we decided to sit by the pool though. Beach
Absolutely beautiful…goes on for ever and ever. Hundreds of lounge chairs scattered across the entire length of the beach. Other than the first day, we had no problems finding a vacant lounge chair and hut even in the middle of the afternoon. Most people do get up early to save their chair but it was vacation, we weren’t about to get up early if we didn’t have to!!!
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: Entertainment / Activities Non-stop activities all day, every day from morning to night. We didn’t participate in any of it and regret that now but everyone who did, looked like they were having lots of fun. The Entertainment is exceptional. Sooo good…from the Michael Jackson show to Dirty Dancing to the International Dance…WOW…sooo good…can you hear the enthusiasm in my voice…I was totally impressed and wish I would have captured every moment on video – it was that good ;D. They also did Miss Sirenis 2010 one night, Men vs. Women another, a Circus show which I hear was extraordinary (sadly, we missed that night) and a great Dominican show. The Animacion team works non-stop all day and night with the highest of energy levels, getting everyone involved…they are truly amazing and definitely made our stay at Sirenis memorable. I don’t know how they do it day after day after day but I’m glad they do cause we had sooo much fun just watching them entertain :} James Bond, Will Smith, Spaghetti, Omega, Barney, Mosquito and the rest of the team…super hilarious and extremely talented! Shopping There are several little shops on the property just before the main building but three out of the four times we went to check them out, they were closed. There is also a gift shop on site with various souvenirs, toiletry items, etc. No beach peddlers but there are little shops beside the Sirenis beach that you can check out. Most have the same merchandise but aren’t pushy or aggressive which is nice. There’s one really quaint shop called “Banana Beach” (if I remember correctly), really nice, beautiful purses, flip flops, jewellery and clothing…very nice!!! There were also vendors set up with paintings and jewellery on the other side of the property at one point. One night during our stay there were various vendors set-up on the grounds which was great…it looked really sharp and everyone was very friendly and not super aggressive so it was enjoyable to look. Excursions
Keep in mind that the Sirenis is very secluded, about an hour away from the airport so there’s not a lot of interaction with the locals which is great for some people but for us, we like to experience as much of the culture and life of the locals as possible so decided to do three different excursions. We did the Quad & Buggy Adventure and had such the best time EVER!!! Wow…it was so much fun…we came back COVERED in mud, grinning from ear to ear. Would definitely recommend everyone try it out. We also did the Canopy Adventure which again, was amazing. The trip up into the mountain was interesting and rough but fun! Another must. Lastly, we did the Tropical Storm catamaran cruise…beautiful, breathtaking views, time to snorkel, check out the Astron Shipwreck, have a drink in the ocean…great crew and lots of fun!!!
Other Comments: Staff
Although the Animacion team is outstanding and front and centre at all times, there are so, so many other staff that go unnoticed who do just as much of an amazing job every day. From the front desk staff to guest services to the grounds keepers, cleaning staff, restaurant and bar staff, my cute little boys who put all the lounge chairs back at the end of every day and changed all the garbage cans across the entire beach (they were so cute, I was just fascinated watching them every day) and my favourite buffet restaurant guy Ananio…such a cutie with an adorable smile 😀 His side kick was adorable too, always singing and smiling with his cute little dimples…I didn’t get his name though 🙁 The soft spoken older gentleman who handed out beach towels every day…what a sweetheart 🙂 No matter where you went on the property, there was always an employee walking by with a smile and friendly “hola”…truly a great experience and everyone deserves a pat on the back for a job well done!!!