Be Live Grand Punta Cana Rating: 3.0 Pearls

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Book now by phone with Hotels.com – Call 1-800-246-8357

Guests do some shopping

A large, nice lobby, pool, beach, and bountiful buffet make this 457-room resort appear tip-top on the surface, but it's not aiming high with amenities. As the resort's own website puts it, it has "all the fittings appropriate for an establishment in this category" -- but with so many all-inclusive resorts in the area, guests can find more.

Unlike most all-inclusives, this property feels pretty sleepy -- guests linger around the beach and pool without many activities or enthusiastic staff members to keep them entertained. Families visit, but there are few family-oriented activities beyond tennis lessons or poolside lounging. Couples visit, but there's no overwhelmingly romantic vibe, just optional beachfront dinners. Spring breakers visit, but past 11 p.m., they're alone at the bar. To most guests, the experience of staying here goes like this: Wait in line for the beach grill and buffet, ogle the entertainment without much cheer, and sip a nightcap at the bar with friends.

Most guests seem to come simply because they spotted a great, last-minute package deal. "Sure, the resort isn't that great, but we came for the sun, and we got a good deal, so we're happy" is a popular refrain. Cheap rates rather than standout amenities are the main draw, so families, couples, and groups commingle with little to do but enjoy their cheap dose of sun and unlimited food and liquor. Dreams Punta Cana and Majestic Colonial Punta Cana offer far better amenities, food, and pools (without sacrificing a great beachfront) at similar prices.

View on a Larger Map

The Be Live Grand Punta Cana is in Bavaro, an area that is commonly considered part of Punta Cana. Bavaro is also home to a smattering of restaurants and nightclubs, mostly in and around the town of Friusa. These offer locals and tourists a change of pace from the dominant resorts and poorly maintained roads.

The beach

In Bavaro, the beaches generally see stronger waves and have a steeper drop-off than those to the south in Punta Cana proper. But the soft, white sand and clear water still make this among the best beaches in the D.R.

The Be Live Grand Punta Cana's stretch of beach has plenty of room to play and lounge. A healthy number of chairs and shady palapa umbrellas are spread along the beach. The swimming area, however, is fairly small. Only a small area of the beach has a sandy bottom.

A small watersports hut on the beach has plastic canoes and kayaks as well as snorkeling gear, and can arrange for windsurfing and catamaran trips. It's shared, along with the rest of the beach and facilities, with Be Live Grand Marien.

Although the beach lies directly next to that of neighboring Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa, I met a friendly security guard monitoring the border between the resorts. Where some resort beaches seem to allow a free flow of guests from surrounding areas, the borders around this beach were clear and monitored, so it felt safe and exclusive.

The Standard Room

The rooms are the most variable part of this hotel. Though some of the rooms have been recently renovated, hotel management was unable to say when renovations will be complete on the other rooms. My room failed to impress, but I peeked at other guests' digs that were much nicer, brighter, and more modern.

Room location also varies greatly: Depending on which building the room is in, the rooms can feel calm and private or noisy and exposed. Buildings 5, 6, and 9 border a serene pool and feel quiet and private. Buildings 1, 2, 3, and 7 face main hotel pathways. Depending on where rooms are within these buildings, they can be quiet or close to things like the noisy entertainment stage and restaurants. My standard room was located right next to pathways leading through the guest villas and toward the beach. It hardly felt private with the curtains open, but with the curtains drawn, it felt dark, cold, and somewhat barren.

In the standard rooms of the unrenovated buildings, the furnishings were functional but outdated and far less stylish than in the newly renovated units. The rooms are generally clean, aside from a couple of rusty lampshades in my room, but the dated, brightly colored coverlet on my bed and the furniture's cheesy, dinged-up finish paled in comparison to the simple, modern design of the renovated rooms. Buildings 3, 6, and 7 (along with the entire Be Live Grand Marien property) have been renovated, but others have not. Ask for a room in one of those buildings or test your luck -- standard rooms and suites are both spread among the buildings.

Standard bathrooms have a single-sink vanity separate from the toilet and shower. In my room, the bathroom was generally clean, save some signs of wear on the counter and mirror. The shower and toilet worked without any glitches, which is more than I can say for my haphazard shower at Barcelo Bavaro Palace. A very basic set of hotel brand bath products are provided -- just some shampoo, soap, and lotion.

All rooms come with a mini-bar, but unlike at most resorts, the contents aren't included in the all-inclusive package. Still, its mini-bars are stocked with a far more extensive collection of sodas, juices, water, beer, and snacks than at other all-inclusives. A single-liter bottle of water is provided, along with a coffee machine and tea, but even the small bottles of water in the mini-fridge cost extra.

The small, tiled balcony (available in all rooms) comes with plastic deck furniture. Some are quiet and pleasant, just a few feet from the pool (if you're lucky enough to get a room facing the adults-only pool), while others, like mine, are not terribly inviting, especially when located a few feet from the hotel's main pathway. Neighboring buildings also keep them from receiving much light.

The spa

The resort features two pools: a main pool that is centrally located and an adults-only pool on the far side of the resort, sandwiched between two guest villas. The large, amoeba-shaped main pool is by far the most popular spot during the day. The swim-up bar and thick border of beach chairs lining the edge of the pool make it an easy place to hang all day, and many guests do. With no bar or restaurant nearby, the adults-only pool gets a lot less attention. Many of the standard rooms have ground-floor balconies that open onto the edge of this pool, so many guests choose to quietly lounge on their deck furniture. I hardly saw any guests here who weren't staying in the rooms next to it.

The tennis center featured lessons, equipment for rent, and two dirt courts. An odd assortment of posters outside the center specified rules on the court (no swimsuits; reservations expire after 10 minutes?) and advertised tennis pro Gregory Rivera (the instructor).

The gym is equipped with a handful of machines in poor condition. The air conditioning works and the facilities are fairly clean, but the carpets, machines, and free weights are no less updated than the '80s workout posters framed on the wall.

Be Live Grand Punta Cana Spa offers a long menu of expensive spa services. The facilities are clean, and the spa itself is relaxing. A steam room, a sauna, hot tubs, and pools are also available for use.

A strip of on-site shops sells a variety of snacks, sunscreen, gifts, and resort-themed clothing. The same variety of paintings, sculptures, jewelry, and mamajuana liquor bottles are sold at the stands set up along the beach and near the pool on the resort.

Above the lobby, a small tour center houses a cluster of tables and notebooks where salespeople pitch the various safaris and activities that guests can sign up for. None of these tours is included in the all-inclusive packages.

The casino and entertainment theater are conveniently located next to each other at the far side of the resort. I saw nary a soul gamble at the handful of slot machines and tables inside the casino. Likewise, the night entertainment was OK, but the audience seemed disinterested and tapered off as the show continued. A disco is also located on the second floor of the lobby building, but the nightlife there, too, was drowsy.

Some families visited the resort, but there wasn't a distinct family vibe. Cribs are available, but I was not able to get an accurate cost -- many different answers from the hotel on this. The buffet has plenty of kid-friendly options but no kids' corner or table with designated food. Though teens seem to get by just fine, the resort doesn't go to great pains to accommodate small children. The lack of children's entertainment and activities certainly doesn't compare with expressly family-friendly resorts like the Holiday Village.

The pools were cleaned daily, paths were kept clear of garbage, and the landscaping was well maintained during my visit. However, the Caribbean climate tends to tarnish metal hardware and shiny surfaces pretty fast. In my room, the terra-cotta tiled floors were clean, as was the rest of the room, but there were a couple of rusty lampshades.

Food at the buffet

• The buffet serves international cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Asian: serves Thai, Chinese and Japanese fare for dinner; extra charges apply.
• Snack Bar has small bites during the day, and a 24-hour drinks service.
• Sports Bar is the resort’s only nightclub; open until late night
• Mexican: serves Tex-Mex food for dinner
• The poolside bar has small bites, snacks and drinks available 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. daily
• Rodizio: Brazilian cuisine; open 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.; reservation required; extra charges apply
• Mediterranean is open 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and has outdoor seating available.
• Dominican Gourmet serves traditional D.R. fare for dinner; kids under the age of 7 are not allowed