Долгожданный отпуск long-awaited vacation

My husband and I decided to spend our vacation somewhere warm. We settled on the Dominican Republic. The most popular resort town there is Punta Cana. Actually, we flew there. Air France flight there via Paris and back via Santo Domingo and Paris. Hotel Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana 5 *.
In general, the holiday turned out well. We were satisfied. And now everything is in order...
The flight there was less difficult than I expected. The road back was very difficult. If possible, fly with any Air France flight, except for the one that leaves Punta Canna at 19:05, or other airlines.

The hotel itself is small, quite cozy, the territory is well-groomed, friendly staff. And here they don’t wear bracelets, which is also a plus. The settlement went very quickly. The rooms are spacious, but a little disappointing. . . Although the tour company assured that the hotel was renovated in 2008, for some reason we observed mold and some dirt on the mirror in the room, and the plumbing was primitive. . . Moreover, we also had water leaking from the pipe leading to the drain tank, which caused an impressive puddle in the room! We turned to the reception and after we paid a certain amount (not officially, of course) we were offered 2 rooms to choose from: one overlooking the garden, the second overlooking the pool and partly the ocean. We naturally chose the second option; True, I was worried about the fact that there would be a lot of noise from those swimming in the pool, but the room turned out to be pretty good soundproofing, and the air conditioner was very loud, so we didn’t hear anything) By the way, in this room we also observed a fungus and incomprehensible stains on the mirror... But these are the little things that were unpleasant, but did not interfere with the rest in general. The cleaning in the rooms is not very good, and despite the fact that we left tips every day... Linen was also changed as they wanted.
The water temperature in the ocean was constantly 25 degrees. The water was not crystal clear, but quite clean, although in the last 3 days it was very muddy mixed with algae. If you walk 10 minutes to the left along the beach, you can swim in the lagoon, in which the water is almost blue and crystal clear, but, unfortunately, beaches are not equipped there. But the pleasures of swimming, sorry for the pun, the ocean!  But you need to be extremely careful, as the local population likes to drive boats there quite close to the shore. The weather was wonderful, only a couple of times during the day there was a little rain, which quickly ended. And so basically the rains, if they were, then only at night.
The hotel has 6 restaurants: one main (breakfast, lunch, dinner buffet) and 5 a la cart restaurants. The food in the main restaurant is quite varied. You will not stay hungry) A huge advantage of this hotel is that you do not need to book a la cart restaurants with the concierge. If you come to a restaurant, but there are no seats, then you are given a “puck” and you go for a walk around the territory. As soon as a free table appears, the “puck” starts flashing and vibrating. It was funny : ) Also on the territory there were also a cafe with pastries, tea and coffee, a sandwich bar on the beach and 2 bars with spirits. The best bar was in the lobby. It was there that they made those cocktails that you ordered, unlike the bar on the beach! Although there came across honest bartenders who said that they could not prepare this or that cocktail, because they did not have the ingredients. Or order a gin and tonic and get a gin and water!
Animation was throughout the day on the beach and near the pools. It was funny and fun, although a bit vulgar in places. In the evening there were various performances in the theater building, and after them a disco.

The hotel also has a spa with a gym (free for guests). There are also 2 tennis courts, a water sports center, a children's club, an internet center, souvenir shops.
Of the excursions, I highly recommend Catalinita VIP. It includes a trip to Saonu (a true paradise, we didn’t want to leave there…), lunch on a desert island, swimming in a natural pool with starfish and much more! We were also on an excursion to the Samana Peninsula. Also interesting, but very rich, in the end everyone got a little tired. But it was worth it. We sailed on a speedboat, arranged a water safari on it, rode horses to a waterfall... So I also recommend it!
As souvenirs, you can bring rum, mamajuana (a local medicinal drink, it is also called Dominican Viagra) and cigars. The last fad is better to buy in duty free when you fly away. There you can buy quality cigars at a reasonable price. It is better not to buy them in the hotel cigar shop, as they are kept in the wrong conditions and smoking them does not give any pleasure. If you are flying through Paris, then it is better to buy alcoholic drinks during your vacation and pack them in your luggage. Everything that you buy in duty free will be taken away from you there. Souvenirs are quite expensive. The price in shops for a little magnet will be from 5 USD. best case scenario! And so basically from 6 and above.
Outcome. The hotel, as for me, 4 *, no more. A little disappointed. But nevertheless, the rest as a whole was a success! We got a lot of impressions and now we are starting again to search for another piece of paradise where you can spend a few days of your life unforgettably!
If anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer!