We have traveled to Mexico and The Dominican before and know what to expect when traveling to these countries. We had a great time. The resort although it is not new it was CLEAN. Everyone we delt with was happy and pleasent. We found to food great but the people we were traveling with couldnt find anything to eat but hot dogs. So like i have told people before when traveling you need to Broaden your taste buds and enjoy the Local food (rice, Fish, Beans and Chicken).

Pool was great. The Beach is huge and no problem finding chairs there.

Drinks- They are not afraid to pour you a strong one.

The room we were in was basic and dated but clean and everything worked. If you want a Fancy room you need to come up with another 30-40 a night to get in the new building (sounds like you can negotiate a little)

If you are going to go down the beach to "Shop" Beware that they are High pressure and if you are nervous you will not enjoy this. However we are used to the Local sales men and if you are firm but polite and say i am not interested they understand

All in all i will not return because i like to go some where new every time but i would recomend it to someone

Jose the Bellboy saved our day. When we were checking out someone grabbed our suitcase by mistake and he had the whole staff running around the resort to find it before our buss left. They did find it.

Go and enjoy it

In my opinion, it's not a 4.5* resort, but it's a small resort, everything is close. Staff was welcoming and very friendly. Food was ok, beach was nice, room was clean and we were right on the beach. I'd stay there again. For the price I paid, it was acceptable accommodations.

Pour une première fois en République Dominicaine, nous avons été enchantés par le site, le lieu, le personnel, la nourriture! Nous avons très bien mangé que ce soit aux restaurants à la carte ou au buffet. Les trois restaurants à la carte étaient ouverts mais nous n'avons pu aller manger au Gourmet (le plus chic) puisque nous avions de jeunes enfants. Mais ce n'est pas grave, nous avons pu manger au restaurant mexicain et au resto brésilien.

Avec deux jeunes enfants (3 mois et 2 ans), le personnel a été un vrai charme... à plusieurs reprises lors de notre semaine nous demandions pour du lait, et le service nous était rendu sans exaspération ou attitude désagréable.

Belle plage, puisque c'est une période peu achalandée, nous trouvions toujours une place à l'ombre (très important pour petit bébé).

Animateurs super gentils et spectacles le soir très bien également.

Nous avons fait plusieurs demandes à la réception, et toutes ont été répondues et rapidement.

Pour un retour à Puerto Plata, le Grand Marien est maintenant notre valeur s⌂re.

Petit bémol, Lifestyle... à vous de juger...

I had a great week at this resort with 5 friends from the UK. The entertainment staff were great. A special shout out to Mosquito who made our holiday "I love you for free" The service and food were average but rooms were clean and comfortable.

As said, good resort for decent price, but I wouldn't give it more than 4 stars.

J'ai voyagé seul pour la première fois, et j'ai eu une bonne expérience à cet hôtel. Il y a quelques petites choses qu'il faut réaliser, par contre, quand on voyage en République. Il faut savoir que 5 minutes là-bas, ça veut dire 15 ou même 20 minutes, parfois plus. Donc, il faut prendre ça relax, et être patient, on est en vacances! Aussi, le dimanche, plusieurs familles Dominicaines viennent dans les hôtels pour se reposer. alors attendez-vous à un achalandage très élevé, à manquer de serviettes et de verres, et à attendre en ligne au restaurant. Mais ils repartent le soir même, et tout redevient à la normale le lundi.

L'hôtel est très beau, pas trop loin de l'aéroport (20 minutes d'autobus), propre et bien entretenu. Par contre, la chambre était un peu vieille, et la salle de bain aussi, mais toujours bien nettoyée. La nourriture était bonne, fraiche, et toujours à la bonne température. Le buffet reste un buffet, mais il y avait de la variété. Le restaurant à la carte "Le Gourmet" a été un grande déception. Rien de gourmet dans ce restaurant, mais bon quand même. Le meilleur selon moi a été le Brésilien. Très bonnes viandes, juteuses et cuites juste à point.

Il y a beaucoup d'arbres en bordure de la plage, ce qui compense pour le peu d'abris à l'ombre dispersé un peu plus près de l'eau. Il faut dire que certains gens se lèvent à 6:00 du matin pour réserver un abri avec leur serviette. Mais une chaise longue (elles sont en quantité suffisante) sous un arbre fait la même chose qu'on abri.

Les cocktails sont la plus grande déception de l'endroit. J'en ai essayé plusieurs, et ils sont tous mauvais. Pas un seul cocktail n'était glacé. Ils étaient tous liquides. Aussi, il n'y a pas de bar dans la piscine, ou sur la plage, et seulement 2 dans tout l'hôtel.

Je ne me suis pas trop fait harcelé par les vendeurs sur la plage, ou ceux qui vendent des vacances à temps partagé sur le site de l'hôtel (lifestyle vacations), mais c'est peut-être parce que j'était seul, car d'autre se sont fait accroché plus que moi.

En tout, cétait un bon voyage, un bel hôtel, plus 4 étoiles que 4 et demi, mais très bien quand même. Un peu loin du centre-ville, donc pour aller à la banque pour un besoin d'argent, le taxi est un peu cher, alors prévoir les dépenses en conséquences. Je retournerais dans un hôtel comme celui-cî n'importe quand.

arrogant people; we didn't receive our room booked ; canjet is a bad company to fly- bad service;

room was very good, spacious and clean
shampoo was low quality
not enough towels
TV old fashion, small screen
large beautiful swimming pool
nice restaurants and excellent food
beautiful sand beach
Overall experience with hotel; excellent

The food quality was better than expected not bland as you might expect from a buffet style. The selection of food became repetitive though. The reservation only restaurants Rodizio & Gourmet were quite good. The hotel is definitely not 4.5 stars. Grounds are well maintained but the rooms are old and look like they could use a freshening up. The presence of a time share on the premises was annoying as you will inevitably be harassed about going to a presentation.

Well I don't like writing negative reviews, I have been to the Dominican Republic many many times. We have stayed at this hotel 3 times before when it was Marien Coral by Hilton when they first opened in 2002. This has been a long time favorite resort of ours. I am so disappointed with the Be Live chain and our stay I wish we stayed home or went back to the Gran Bahia Principe like we originally planned. We had such high expectations from before. On with the review:
CHECK IN
went smoothly but was very bothered by the amount of smoking in the lobby due being asthmatic and smoke triggers attacks.
BEACH
nice beach, great for swimming. long walks to the right takes you to Playa Dorada and the flea market.
ROOM
We had upgraded to the oceanview. room was basic, everything working. Walls are thin and you can hear everything from your neighbor. The last 4 days were torture... had a chain smoker move in next door in the adjoining room.. it was the strong cigarettes and cigars..the smoke filled up our room as well from under the adjoining door...took a severe asthma attack.. we moved to the newer section but still had to pay to move.. reception don't care.. they just want everyones money.
RESTAURANTS
Food was ok..not alot of selection especially for the star level. We had much better in some 3 star hotels. Here is where the vacation was hell. there was smoking allowed in all restaurants except the gourmet. They say they have a smoking section but some days it was everywhere, noone seemed to care where they lit up. and the staff didnt even say anything .. one guy even had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth getting food in the line..DISGUSTING.. This didnt happen when it was Coral... I dont expect the buffet to be all nonsmoking, but should be much more organized for a designated smoking area. Numerous complaints were made to guest services and a formal complaint was filed.
ENTERTAINMENT
Same as other resorts. staff friendly and try their best to get everyone involved.
BARS
agree with other reviews regarding not enough bartenders and bars to serve when it gets busy. You could be waiting in line for 30 minutes.. Be careful at the Coppa disco, drinks are extra $$ and ladies beware of the sankies.. the place is full of them.
OVERVIEW
Could have been a great holiday if a few things were changed, like the A La cartes being nonsmoking and no smoking around reception, and non smoking rooms. The beach is great, the location is perfect for touring the city and handy to the playa Dorada.

On a passé un agréable séjour en famille avec du beau temps 6 jours sur 7. Il y avait beaucoup de dominicains pendant le weekend de paques mais cela ne nous a pas trop dérangé. Le service au niveau du buffet est moyen mais la nourriture est bonne et variée. Les resto à la carte sont tres bons aussi. Spectacles moyens sauf celui de Michael Jackson qui était génial. Chambre propre et confortable, dommage que la clim soit trop bruyante. La plage est correcte, les vendeurs ne sont pas trop achalands, il suffit juste de leur faire comprendre qu'on n'est pas interessé. Très grande piscine, idéale pour les enfants.
Je pense qu'on y retournera sans problème.

Beach and Pool area were well maintained. The service staff provided warm and friendly service and the food was great at the ala cart restaurants.

Front desk service and booking ala cart restaurants was a painful experience. Check in and Check out was very unprofessional and queries were not properly addressed.

Just arrived back from Be Live Grand Marien and I can't say I didn't enjoy myself because I sure did, but everything about the hotel was just "ok".

Had a great holiday- weather, beach, buffet, Gourmet restaurant, drinks, pool and staff all wonderful.
Hotel is very old- needs renovations/face lift to bring it up to even a 4 star. Rooms are clean but dilapidated.
Mexican restaurant a disappointment. Rodizio was O.K.
I would return to Dominican but not Be Live Grand Marien

C'est notre 3e séjour à cet hotel. Inutile de vous dire que nous sommes toujours satisfait. La qualité du service de l'accueil au départ est très bien. Les chambres grandes et bien entretenues. La qualité et la variété du buffet excellente. Les restaurants, le Rodizio pour les amateurs de viandes; le Mexicain à essayer c'est sûr; et le Gourmet, fine cuisine très bon aussi. À savoir, on peut se faire servir un homard au restaurant de notre choix ou au buffet. Il faut débourser, mais il est excellent.
D'habitude nous y allons à deux. Mais cette fois-ci nous avions nos deux adolescents (17 & 15). Ils ont aussi beaucoup aimé. Ils préféraient rester à la piscine pour ne pas manquer les activités avec les animateurs très sympatiques.
Bref, c'est une place que je recommande, et j'y retournerai probablement encore si c'est le meilleur marché encore!

Nous avons bien aimé cet hôtel pas trop grand, très beau site. Bonne bouffe, service excellent et plage magnifique.
N'est par contre pas vraiment pour les jeunes parce que plutôt tranquille parfait pour un couple comme nous qui voulait se reposer.

This was a wonderful resort. The buildings were extremely clean, as was my room. The staff were all very kind and accomidating. The food was very good and the beach was to die for. I have no complaints and would absolutely go again. Also loved that this resort wasn't far from the airport and was very close to the city.

I flew out of Halifax with 3 other people at the beginning of April. It was a morning flight so we arrived in the Dominican before noon and it was a short 15 minute bus ride to the resort. Given there was over 150 people checking in all at once, the wait was only 30-45 minutes which was not too bad. Our room was not ready until 3pm but they give you your bracelet right away so you can go enjoy the resort in the meantime. What a resort! The pictures you see on most websites don't do it justice. The grounds are amazing, the first thing you notice is the huge pool when you walk in and it's one of the nicer pools I've seen. Plenty of lounge chairs and a bar right there if you want a drink. The pool is the central point of the resort and there are 9 buildings with the rooms, plus other buildings for bars, restaraunts, shops, etc. It's a large resort but not too large that you get lost. Everything is laid out and makes sense. While we waited for our room we checked out the beach. The sand is awesome, the water is blue/green and warm and the breeze makes you want to never leave. To anyone who says there is too much seaweed you may want to go live in Dubai with their artifical beaches...this beach is awesome and they rake the seaweed daily. How many other beaches actually rake naturally occuring seaweed? There are beach vendors but they are friendly and a quick "no thanks" usually does the trick. Go check out the blue market at the end of the beach though if one of them asks you to go...you'll get a free beer out of the deal and they have some cool crafts and gifts. Don't buy cigars there though, go into the city and buy your rum and cigars there. Way cheaper and better quality too. A lot of people get up early to reserve lounge chairs on the beach but honestly if you hunt well enough you can always find a few vacant ones. Worst case you can grab one from the pool and drag it down, it's not that far and they are pretty light to carry. I just sit on a towel at the beaches here in NB anyway so the lounger was a non issue for me. After chilling on the beach we got our room and it was perfect. Clean, comfy beds, working A/C, LDC TV, mini fridge, etc. Nothing too fancy but a nice bright clean room with a balcony. We were lucky enough to get ocean view at no extra cost. There are 6 older style buildings and 3 newer but even the older style are really nice. There are no elevators though so the disabled can get ground floor no problem I am sure. You'll get 2 free beer, 2 pop and a 1 liter bottle of water every day in your fridge and we left $1 a day for the maid with no problems. Always had towels and whatever we needed. There are 3 restaraunts and a buffet and also the snack bar near the beach. The buffet does 3 mails daily and they mix it up pretty well, I did not get sick of the food or sick from the food in 7 days. Each night is a theme but there is something for everyone. The snack bar by the beach has awesome nacho's and burgers and fries and there's always fresh fruit everywhere you go. We ate at the Mexican and Brasillian restaraunts and they were very good. The drinks are legendary and beer is on tap everywhere. I brought my Bubba Keg and for the most part poured my own beer. They will make you almost any cocktail you can think of and a $1 tip go's a long way. The lines at the bar were never too bad and considering it's all you can drink, I only saw one drunk guy the whole trip who proudly proclaimed he was from Toronto. He was harmless and more funny than anything...I made fun of his tramp stamp and he just laughed it off. One bad apple out of 1000 people was not too shabby. The staff are pretty nice at this resort and there is security everywhere so you always feel safe. I gave the security guard some chocolate and made a friend for life I think, he was blown away! You can either stay on the resort and do their activities or you can hire a car and go into the city. We did this for $50 plus tip and it was worth it. We did the cable car, went into downtown Puerto Plata and shopped, took a tour of the rum factory and saw the sights...what a time! The factory is the cheapest place to buy rum too so I would take the tour...well worth it. Free rum at 10:30 am never tasted so good. There are lots of other trips you can take for $50 to $100 and next time I go I plan on taking some of those excursions. I was so in love with the beach and the resort we only ventured out one day. There is so much to do that if you become bored...well...I can't help you. There's no excuse for boredom down there. I could go on and on but I would say go check it out for yourself. The beginning of April is the best as the weather is sunny and hot and spring break is pretty much done. It might have rained for 15 seconds the whole time I was there. The day we left I was sad but happy I chose this resort and I would definately go back. We ate breakfast, got on a bus and the Puerto Plata airport was fast and efficient. The flight is around 4 hours and when we got back to Halifax it was cold and foggy...made me appreciate the Dominican even more. Awesome trip, awesome hotel, awesome country and people. Go to Puerto Plata and check out this resort. And if you read other reviews which are less favorable I can't speak for their vacation but man they myst have some pretty high standards because this was definately the 4.5 star they claim it to be.

On and one last thing. They do have guys there who will try and get to you watch a presentation and sell you a timeshare. Be firm, tell them no thanks and walk away. They are trained to be a bit pushy but they only stand outside the buffet in the morning and once you tell them no they seem to remember. Never got asked again the whole trip. Minor flaw which should not discourage anyone from going here...and hey, if you go to the presentation you get a free bottle of rum! So go to the D.R. and if you stay here you can't go wrong. I'm already planning next year's trip...cheers!

This is my first time at an all inclusive and had a good experience, although sometimes you have to be on the lookout that you don't get the number of beds you want in a room. I travelled there with my sister and we were put on a King size bed and I had made a request for a change they said there weren't other rooms available and they could put another bed in.
Room service is not the great, our cups sometimes were not washed.
Staff at the restaurant sometimes can be very busy to attend everyone and sometimes you have to get up to serve yourself for drinks.

It was a really nice place, with a really nice pool.
95% of travellers were from Quebec
we wish they played music around the resort but they wouldn't only when they had a game for about an hour a day.

Good time good resaurent

We were extremely happy with our accomodations. All the buildings (3 floors each) were situated very close to the pool & the ocean. There was not a bad location in the entire complex as all the amenities are in close proximity to each other which we loved as there are some mobility issues. The rooms were clean & spacious, the grounds were constantly being groomed & cleaned & it appears as if alot of new plants (palms) are bring planted for even better shade in the years to come. The staff was accommodating & when we discovered that the locking mechanism on our patio door was not working they sent someone around within an hour to repair it. The food was about what was expected for this part of the world but there was always plenty of food. The drinks were a pleasant surprise, we have had margueritas in both Cuba & the Dominican which did not taste like margueritas but these were very good & Presidente beer is also a favourite of ours which was also available. The check in process was quite fast compared to other hotels we have stayed at as was the check out process & unlike some other hotels we have experienced the staff were as pleasant when you were leaving as when you were arriving. Also the distance from the airport to the hotel is only about 25 minutes. All in all one of our best vacations to date.

C'est un bon 4*1/2! Nous n'avions aucune attente et nous avons été agréablement surpris par le rapport qualité/prix de cet hôtel. Nous avons même l'intention d'y retourner!!

This was the 2nd time for us going to the Dominican Rep. One week before we where there at the Be Live Grand Ambar,came home for a week and then went back this time to the Be live grand Marien. We loved both trips,with the 2nd being more enjoyable due to having NO STAIRS !Yay the food was not as nice nore as many variety as the Ambar but it was good. The water pressure was amazing we could not turn it on full blast as it was to strong and had to keep turning it down as it was very hot. My sisster who had the upgraded room and was located closer to the lobby had bad water flow and could not make there water hot. I was in 1121 had an awsome beach veiw I could not complaine. At the Ambar we had no water pressure and had to have luke warm showers then turn the tap full blast on hot just to warm up. The Ambar was the better of the two even with the stairs. Everyone at the Marien kept trying to tell us that they where better than the Ambar and that they followed the same standards and had the same food... Yet as I had just been there the week before can tell you by experiance they are two different grades of hotels not sure why they share the same * rating as there is big difference between the two. Still given all that I would personaly stay at the Maarien before the Ambar as I would rather down scale a bit as apposed to the stairs at the Ambar.

Super buffet! Super service. Tout le Staff est attentionnes. Super piscine. Tres reposant. La mer n'est pas la plus belle que j'ai vue mais c'est quand meme bien. Saluez Romy pour moi si vous faite de la plonge soumarine!

Très bel hôtel, bonne bouffe, grande plage pour marcher, très bon service. Le seul hic: le lit beaucoup trop mou. A part cela, nous sommes enchantés de notre choix. C'est un endroit de rêve!

The Grand Marien was great! We had a wonderful 2 weeks. The resort was very well run- clean, beautiful grounds, good service, good food,etc. The room was very nice and everything worked well. We had a great view from our room- overlooking the pool area, with just a glimpse of the beach on one side. The beach was great! Overall, we were very happy with this resort & would recommend it to anyone! Rita, Spanish, Ont

Si on vous dit que les chambres sont rénovées, vous devez savoir que seulement une section de l'hôtel offre ces chambres. À votre arrivée, on vous demande un surplus de 40$us la nuit pour en profiter. À mon humble avis, cette arnaque en vaut la peine si vous voulez bien dormir. Le site est très propre. La nourriture est bonne, mais le petit buffet de la plage manque nettement de variété. Les restaurants à la carte sont très bons. La plage est belle pour Puerto Plata.

staff are very courteous, always ready to assist you. in the bathroom the enamel was peeling off the tub and water had a bit of a fluctuation between hot and cold. the only really bad thing for myself was that they cook almost everything in some type of oil. which i found to be very hard on my digestive tract. but most foods tasted very good.

Tout était parfait....mais oublier pas de prendre le coffre car il fouille très bien dans vos bagage et ont c'est fait volé 135$. J'ai porté plainte, il l'on pris au sérieux.