This Ocean El Faro resort review will be extremely detailed.

What can I say about the Ocean El faro resort in Punta Cana? This 5-star all-inclusive resort opened in 2019 and then closed right after in 2020. So we’re reviewing a nearly brand new resort in one of the most popular locations in the Caribbean. Let’s get into it!

Ocean El Faro Resort Location

The resort is located in the Uvero Alto section of Punta Cana. The Punta Cana airport is a 30 minute car ride away from the resort. This is without traffic. Expect longer travel times during the busy season of October through March.

There is a shopping center seven minutes away from the Ocean El Faro resort called Plaza Punta Cana. It’s a tourist trap for sure, but the merchants are friendly, and not super pushy.

Rooms

I had been following the Ocean El Faro resort on Instagram and looking through all the photos. I was so impressed with the interior design of the rooms.  The rooms were large and had a nautical theme. Diagrams and drawings of lighthouses were in both the bedroom area and in the living room area.

(The room photos shown are of two different rooms. One has a king size bed and the other has two queen beds. Most items besides the beds are identical.)

A buffet/console table served as the dresser and was located under the TV. The TV was a good size and had lots of channel options. TV channels were in both English and Spanish. There was something for everyone.

The mini bar was included and stocked with sodas and beer.  Definitely try the sodas because they use natural sugar instead of artificial sweeteners.

The closet area held the safe as well as a really useful clothes steamer.  I just bough a similar steamer after returning home. I loved how easy it was to steam my clothes during the trip.

Outside the room was a large balcony. This was not your tiny little balcony with just enough room for you to stand outside.  Each balcony includes a chair swing and sitting area with two chairs and a small table.

My only issue with the room was the bathroom door. It would get stuck and was hard to open. This could be due to the humidity. Whatever the case, it was annoying.

The bathroom itself was beautiful. The shower featured double waterfall showerheads and double handheld fixtures. One at each end of the shower.

Room service was very slow. I had to cancel my order the one time I used room service. The meal would have arrived after I had already left. I had plans outside the resort that evening. This was the slow season. So I can’t imagine what service is like in the busy season.

The resort was very large. To get from your room to other parts of the resort required a lot of walking. There were golf cart trains that would drive by periodically. They were life savers when we were tired and worn out.

Adults Only Section

The Ocean El Faro resort has an adults only section called El Beso (kiss in Spanish). This is where my room was located.  We had our own separate adults only pools with swim up bars and parties on different nights. 

There was even a separate buffet that was adults only. I definitely recommend choosing the El Beso option if you’re not traveling with children.

Entertainment

There was always something to do every single night. Watch shows in the auditorium. One night we watched a 70s and 80s dance show. Another night we watched a performance of the Lion King. Check the schedule outside of the auditorium each night. You can also use the resort’s app to see what performances are scheduled.

Another fun activity my family enjoyed was bowling. They have a six lane bowling alley open in the evenings. It also has a bar. We enjoyed it so much we bowled on two different rights.

Outside of the auditorium there is a outdoor gazebo. Singers perform on different nights. There are also opportunities to dance. I had fun dancing bachata, which originated in the Dominican Republic.

Food

I know a lot of people are wondering about the food at the Ocean El Faro resort.  Food is one of the biggest draws of people to an all-inclusive resort.  The food did not disappoint.

There are two main food options. Choose the buffet restaurants (one for the main resort and the other for the adults only section) or the themed restaurants. These included Japanese, Mexican and Italian. There were also American-type restaurants that served burgers and fries.

Of all the food I tried, my favorite was the Mexican restaurant, Margarita. I did not try every single restaurant. There was literally more places to eat than time to eat at them all. The food at Margarita was unique and flavorful.  I had the tortilla cream soup. It was absolutely amazing. This was following by fish tacos with fish that was battered to perfection.

As far as food quality goes, I give it a 7.5. The buffets had a wide variety of options, some better than others.  Everything was fresh. However, the pizza was not good. Like at all. And some of restaurants had menu items that came in different versions than I was expecting.

For example, the Crème Brule was more like pudding with a candy shell. I believe these small inconsistencies are due to food costs being kept at a certain level due to it being an all-inclusive resort. However, this did not impact my trip in a negative way.

Pools

The El Beso (adults only) section had two main pools as well as a small pool with jets.

There were water aerobic classes and parties. One night there was a foam party. Another day they put inflatable water slides in the pool. Then there were DJs playing music in the afternoons. There was never a dull moment.

In the main resort area there were multiple pools for both adults and children. There is a lazy river and water park. Near the water park is a kids club. Events are held at these pools but I didn’t go there often so I don’t know what they were.

The Beach Area

The beach area included a lot of chairs. I never had any issues finding a chair. Usually I could also find one with a straw umbrella. There is a section for “Privilege” members (those that pay a fee for additional resort services) and adults only guests. Though the majority of the beach is for everyone.

Walk a few steps over from the beach bordering the resort. You’ll find a little cove area. The water is calmer with less waves. It was perfect for this girl who cannot swim (even after lessons as a child…).

The beach had some trash but was satisfactory. The water was clean.

Gift Shop

The gift shop had a good variety of items at fair prices. Many sales were going on while I was there. I bought a cute t-shirt for $7.

Service

The service was really good. I’m going all the way from the bell boys, to the housekeepers, to the lobby staff and everyone else I interacted with.

The housekeepers were very thorough. I even noticed someone disinfecting the cushion on a swing chair outside on the balcony. No one was going to notice that, but it shows they paid attention to detail.

Lobby

Can you believe I almost forgot to talk about the gorgeous lobby? I have never seen a lobby in any hotel or resort like this. It was so grand and beautiful. Take a moment to look at the images below.

They had a nautical theme with a lot of unique elements. There was a giant fish skeleton over the lobby bar. Then there were various other “artifacts” sprinkled through out the lobby. This included a small butterfly exhibit.

The lobby had the main section and an El Beso adults only side. I’m sure this reduces long lines during the busy season.

Bottom Line

I had a great time and recommend the Ocean El Faro resort.

Checkout this post where I talk all about how to get a great deal on a vacation at Ocean El Faro. 

Then see my other Dominican Republic posts here.