Be Live Collection Marien - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

8707 reviews

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  Tired, Run Down & Apathetic: Lovers of Puerto Plata and the DR are disappointed by a worn out hotel.

  Our party of two couples travelled to the Marien Puerto Plata in Feb of 2025. We stayed “adults only” so had access to VIP services. This is an honest and unbiased review describing our experience of a week at this hotel. We have been to Puerto Plata 8 times and so we know the area well, and so our standards are a bit lower since we know what to expect. Note that we stayed at this hotel in 2017. We understand that some of the hotel buildings are being converted to condos, so some of the buildings were empty and there was construction going on. First, the pros: - The weather. It’s hard to beat the weather in the DR. Perfect, beautiful and sunny. One day of rain but we had fun by playing cards at the poor bar. - Super friendly, affordable airport transportation provided by Ariel Balbuena. - VIP bar/lounge had excellent service, premium liquor. - Entertainment staff. Lovely and friendly staff tried hard to create engaging nighttime shows. - Pool bar staff were excellent. - in-room towel exchange was awesome. - Bottled water in rooms as well as pop and beer was great. The cons: - The hotel itself was worn and dated. Rooms were less clean than we expected (ie between the bedside table and wall was an inch of dust and hair—gross), smelled like musty stale air. The fridge in the room was on a makeshift box that someone had made but wobbled every time you opened it. The interlocking pathways through out the grounds were uneven, with broken tile in multiple areas and is a trip hazard for anyone, let alone dangerous for people who are elderly or have mobility issues. Water pressure inconsistent, frequently no hot water, and on the last day there was NO water coming from the taps. The beach was dirty, there was garbage on the beach as well as seaweed everywhere. It honestly seemed like there was nobody maintaining the beach whatsoever which is different from other hotels (ie the Iberostar next door, or the Gran Ventana in Playa Dorada). - The food. Three a-la-cartes were available for your dining options as well as one buffet and the beach snack bar. It is important to note that although there were a fair number of food options, food safety was not a priority here, with hot food never being hot and cold food not kept cold. The food lying out in the open in both the beach bar and the buffet was questionable and concerning. Three of the four people in our party became ill with gastro-like symptoms, and many people we spoke to experienced the same. We happened to sit at the same table one day for each meal, and the same dirty spoon was on the table at breakfast, lunch and dinner (when I finally put it on my plate to go back to the kitchen)—indicating the silverware was not cleared between diners. Glasses on the table had lipstick from other diners before us. The dirty tables, silverware, and lukewarm food in 30 degree temperatures really made us question the resort’s commitment to quality. Staff in the restaurant appeared not to care either, they were not the usual friendly, engaging staff that we are used to from other trips in the DR. They were slow to clear plates and refill drinks. You would generally see your server once initially and that’s all. There was a gentleman who appeared to be a VIP of some sort, who spent every meal on his phone but had the buffet manager waiting on him (ie getting his pasta from the pasta bar), so good service is a possibility here yet not the standard. Overall, this is a hotel where it really seems like they’ve given up, and just don’t care anymore. We wondered if the hotel is turning over to condos only and so for now, they’ve just stopped trying. After our 8th trip to Puerto Plata, we are going to find another location to travel to next time around.

  Feb 20, 2025
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  Excellent

  Very nice resort, beach is really pretty. Pool is very clean. Lots of fun activities and the shows are really great every night. Room is clean and service has been amazing. Really enjoyed the activities at the pool every afternoon, good music. Hello kitty and Roberto were very personal and friendly when running the activities. Louis was great at the sports bar. Would recommend getting vip as the beach sections and morning coffee station are exceptional.

  Feb 20, 2025
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  2025 Vacay

  Mosquito was very good. Had amazing energy and great service. He worked at the restaurant, karaoke, disco and was always very helpful and very friendly every time we saw him. He loved telling jokes and spent time with all the visitors and made sure they felt at home

  Feb 18, 2025
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  Marien Resort

  The pool and beach are great. we had a great week with everyone. the staff is super friendly and always there to help. Food was pretty good as well. Always options for food and open whenever you need to get something to eat! Lots of fun and great weather!

  Feb 15, 2025
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  Good vacation

  we stayed for 1 week at the marien, the entertainment people were amazing the entire time, felix and capuchino were absolutely the best people on the resort. we played volleyball, cornhole, and crazy ball with them and had a great time. the pool was amazing. the room service was good and took care of everything. I love it

  Feb 15, 2025