Emotions by Hodelpa - Juan Dolio

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

5720 reviews

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  No way it's 5 stars

  I have no idea how this place is getting 5 star reviews. I wanted to love it and it has many great qualities but definitely falls well short of 5 stars. First the good. A smaller resort where it's easy to walk to every amenity quickly. The beach is fairly nice as well. The snack bar at the beach has great fried chicken. Unfortunately there a pigeons, cars and dogs in the area making it somewhat unsanitary. More than once a stray cat jumped up in a table that guests were then seated at for a meal without having the table wiped down. The pigeons congregate on top of the snack bar above the food service area. Not a great look. The pools were cloudy and dirty especially the main pool. If this was my pool at home I would be working diligently to fix the issue. There is also no umbrellas at the main pool making it difficult to find shade. The main buffet isn't great. We aren't fussy eaters and mostly stuck to bacon, eggs and toast for breakfast. The smoked salmon and cold cuts looked to be left out at room temperature and flies were abundant. Only one area of the buffet is air conditioned as well which is unfortunate for those looking for some respite from the heat. The a la carte restaurants were the highlight and Bianca was fantastic. Unfortunately a couple of these restaurants aren't air conditioned and had a cat jumping on tables were people were then seated for dinner. I'm a cat person but that's not cool. The resort could be absolutely fantastic but it's very dated and the rooms aren't being maintained very well. Our shower drain was extremely slow, the balcony door took all my strength to open and close as the sliders were shot and the balcony door didn't lock. The air conditioning worked very well and the room was clean and adequate. The cleaning lady we had was also fantastic but her name escapes me right now. We were in the adults only section which is quiet and nice except for when there are shows at the main pool in which case you are going to hear the ruckus quite clearly until around 10:30pm. This resort is at least 90 minutes from Punta Cana airport so it is a bit of a journey but traffic was light in both directions and our drivers were great. The resort was in the affordable side as four of us were $6000 CDN for 7 days in August when the DR is like an oven. We have visited all inclusive in DR about 10 times now and this resort was unfortunately the worst of them all. It could be a great boutique resort if it underwent some significant renovations and changes in how things are run. Once again we wanted to love it and it has some good qualities but sadly it fell short and we won't return. There is no way it should have 5 star reviews and it's these reviews that convinced us to try it. Not sure how it is scoring as well as it is across the various platforms as we are experienced visitors and have quite the variety of resorts with which to compare it with.

  Aug 29, 2026
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  Great experience

  The location is very convenient for going to the pool. The setting and the scenery is very nice. The atmosphere was very shared. Suzanne from animation i like being with her she is a very nice person and with the experience was very good.

  Aug 25, 2026
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  Very nice vacation

  I spend 2 weeks here, the worker in the hotel are very friendly, everyone is nice, there is good food and good animation, you don’t get bored. junior is very intertaning and nice and Jesus who is making pineaple is also very nice.

  Aug 17, 2026
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  10/10 Service!

  Amazing experience. Service staff was so so good. Specially at the Snack area. Marlenys García and Exequiel Martínez gave us a 10/10 service. They’re very humble, empathetic and diligent people. Will be visiting again definitely!

  Aug 15, 2026
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  Summer holiday

  Our stay at Hodelpa was absolutely amazing, and everything was top-notch from start to finish! The resort, the atmosphere, and the service completely exceeded our expectations.The absolute highlight of our vacation was the incredible entertainment team. They brought so much energy and joy to every single day. The beach games they organized were super fun, engaging, and kept everyone entertained. We also thoroughly enjoyed the award ceremonies, which were always filled with laughter and great vibes.A special shoutout and massive thank you goes to the head of the team, Mr. Junior. He is a phenomenal leader—incredibly professional, charismatic, and always making sure every guest is having the best time.Thank you, Hodelpa, for an unforgettable vacation. We cannot wait to come back!

  Aug 14, 2026