Hotwire Hotel: 4* Punta Cana Grand Flamenco

[krlbrgmnn]

Grand Flamenco Punta Cana by Occidental All Inclusive Resort

Calle Friusa Arena Verde 125 1809 Bavaro

Punta Cana,

Dominican Republic

(809) 221-8787

Amenities: All Inclusive, Resort (Note: A resort fee may be charged), Food and Beverages Included, A La Carte Dining, Water Sports/Activities Included, Daily Activities Included, Pool(s), Spa Services, Fitness Center, Children's Activity Program, Restaurant(s).

List as the only "Best Buy/Best Deal" out of three total choices. Lesser-star hotels were going for more money.

My research on this hotel, after my HW purchase, shows that this may be a marginal 4*:

TripAdvisor reviews (even though this is the 23 most popular place out of 289!)

Lodging.com's 3* rating

4 "red apple" (out of 6 red or even gold) rating by Apple Vacations

Apparently the fact that they have a "Royal Club" upgrade within the resort is what gives this resort the nudge into the 4* realm. Otherwise, it seems to closer to 3* for the rest of us.

Best rate I could find for this resort for this same time period was $190/nt for the lowest grade room (which is what I'm sure I've purchased here). Based on this assumption, I saved about a third. Interestingly, the HW cost summary does not reflect any wild taxes or surcharges:

1 room(s) @ $129.00 per night x 7 night(s) $903.00

Hotel Taxes and fees: $7.15

Hotel Subtotal $910.15

Total Price $910.15

I am waiting to see if there'll be any surprise "resort fees" when I get there.

[thereuare]

Thank you for sharing your results with the board and adding this new property to our lists.

Let us know how it all works out upon your return.

Enjoy your trip.

[krlbrgmnn]

This hotel turned out fine and was one of the better ones in the area (we walked into several nearby resorts, evaluating their qualities and visually inspecting the food of the buffets), even though one of the several enormous pools was closed and the rooms, in my opinion, weren't US-standard 4* (about 1* to 2*), although they might be for Dominican standards (with all due respect). The main restaurant and its buffet food was very good quality and tremendous selection, which I felt was a key highlight for the resort and my stay. Ditto for the beach cafe which had about the same quality.