After 8 trips, it gets harder and harder to write these reviews and still find something "NEW" to write about. Is everything perfect in Paradise? No, and it probably never will be. Will we return? Without question. Next January for sure and I may even try to find a deal for later this year.

Any issues we had were minor things and certainly not enough to ruin a vacation. Well, certainly not ours. We don't really worry about the little things. They're just not important enough.

They market themselves as a 3.5 to 4 star property, and that rating is just about right. Four stars is pushing it a mite since they are not right on the beach. Oh well, a mere 6 minute walk from the front gate. Oh the trials of life! How about 3 3/4 stars .......

TRIP SYNOPSIS: Signature Vacations, Skyservice Airlines. Fun Royale/Tropicale, Puerto Plata, in the Playa Dorada complex. In my opinion, it's still a great place for a vacation. The new beach bar is very very nice. Plain and not fancy. Someone came up with the term 'laid back' and I can't find a better one. The facilities may be a little dated, but they're SUPER CLEAN. We had no complaints about the food; pretty good, simple and not gourmet. As last year, food selections didn't always particularly suit 'my' tastes. But I never left the table hungry. The staff is extremely friendly and obliging. Oh yes, they remembered us from previous visits. After all these years, they're like family now. Management cares and responds to valid 'positive' criticism and woks very hard to accomodate their guests. The entire "team" seems stable from year to year. Some staff have been around for years (15 years in some cases). Don't expect a 5 star resort. Expect a few "rough edges".

THE REVIEW: Since previous reviews are still posted, there is a risk that something may be repeated. This was our eighth trip to the resort. With the exception of trip number one and the extra week we jammed in last March, each trip has been two weeks. Obviously, the place still suits our needs and we were more than happy with what we got this time. Honestly, we know a high percentage of the staff by name and they are just like family to us. They also know our wants and are eager to please. For example, you are supposed to get your own coffee, juice and wine. Let's just say that it was a rare event when I had to.

You have to remember that it's a three and a half star to four star resort, so don't expect anything fancy. The Royale section consists of hotel rooms arranged in 4 blocks (labelled A through D) while the Tropicale section consists of multi-unit villas. In case you're wondering, about 15 years ago, it used to be two separate hotels. These were rolled together under the all-inclusive plan at that time. They have an armband system and it's easy to recognize repeat guests. We saw a lot of these, so that speaks well for the hotel. It tends to be a love it or hate it kind of place. We obviously fall into the love it category. We were in good company.

Most of the people we met during our stay were enjoying their stay. There were exceptions, so it doesn't suit all tastes. For example, we met two single guys travelling together, not as a couple I might add. They were not enjoying themselves or the room. They didn't seem to like anything. We asked if they wanted to look for girls? No. How about night clubbing? No. How about casinos? No. How about sitting around the bar and socializing? No. Clearly, nothing was going to please them, so they might as well have stayed at home.

The flights were on Skyservice. The seating was tight (surprise surprise), but the service was friendly and the food wasn't too bad. With the exception of a luggage issue (still unresolved) and the extra stopover in Samana that they threw in on the way home, we found the trip quite pleasant, including check in and the inflight service. As for the luggage, lets just say that the trip home seemed a little rugged. The trained gorillas in the back room seemed to have been in a bad mood that day. The baggage coming off the belt in Toronto looked like it had been dragged behind the plane. A lot of baggage appeared to be taped shut with their tape, complete with logo. Except for being very dirty, our luggage appeared at first glance to be OK, so we cleared customs, put our baggage on a luggage cart and went to the curb to pick up our transport to the hotel. It wasn't until I tried to use the luggage tow handle that I realized it was smashed. In fact, when I tried to extend it, it just fell apart in my hand and pulled right out of the suit case. There's only about 2 or 3 trips on that suitcase; it should last "a bit" longer than that.

OK, on to the hotel. First, the new beach club was opened last February. It is very nice and a pleasant spot to pass the day, eat and drink. However, it's still not completed. It didn't appear much different than when we saw it in March. The mirrors and hand driers have now been installed, but light fixtures and things like that are still missing. This club has great potential for nighttime use as an extra-cost steak and seafood a la carte restaurant on the beach. Or, at the very least, they could keep the bar open, serve some light snacks, play some music and make this a nighttime destination for those so inclined to go to the beach in the evening. Since they're not doing that yet, I guess the missing light fixtures aren't a big issue.

Second, there has been a minor update to the lobby area. The seating has been upholstered in bright cheery colours and there is a new painting behind the reception desk.

The hotel is still Dominican owned. The executive manager is Italian. There are a number of women (about 50%) on the executive staff. Bravo! The staff is quite stable; except for some promotions and a loss due to an auto accident, there have been few executive changes in the last year. The total staff numbers about 300 and most of them have been around for years too.

It used to be 'only' a 3 and a half star hotel, but with the opening of the new beach club and the addition of 24 hour food and beverage service, they have billed themselves as 4 star now. As I said, 4 star might be pushing it a bit, but it is better than three and a half, so ..... Yes, the rooms are a little plain, but quite functional.

In addition to the main buffet, which was quite good, we also enjoyed the two specialty dining rooms (Brazilian and Italian/Mediterranean). We met some people that didn't particularly care for the Brazilian. These were probably vegetable lovers and since this place is a carnivore's delight, that might explain it. The night we visited, the chicken and pork were a tad overcooked, but the beef was amongs't the best I have had in the DR. We found the food and service were excellent in both restaurants. The only problem is that they are small and fill up rapidly. If you haven't made a reservation by 7:15 am, it's probably best to forget it. Oh, and the wine served this year is still pretty good for a house wine. Higher quality bottled wine could also be purchased if that was your want.

The main buffet restaurant and the Brazilian are open to the outside air, but the Italian one is closed off and air-conditioned. In the main buffet at breakfast and lunch, the black birds are pretty bold and will filch the food right off your plate if you leave it unattended. They get mixed messages, some people feed them scraps and others shoo them away. I'm not sure what they would do with sugar packets, but like last year, I witnessed several instances of them taking the packets from the sugar bowl. Fortunately, the birds are pretty clean and don't leave too many messes. Actually, watching their antics as people shoo them away is somewhat amusing.

On the plus side, the hotel still has 24 hour all-inclusive. It's not full buffet, but you can get drink and food (burgers, hot dogs, chops, salad) at odd hours if that is your want. So this feature is obviously a success! Me, I didn't need it. I gained 10 lbs in the two weeks we were there.

It seemed to me that the buffet was about the same as last year. Some things were improved and others were down a peg, but overall it was still very good. The quality seemed about the same as last year. We normally stay away from the beef in the DR, but this year we had some good beef. To be fair, we also had a few chewy pieces, but on the days it was good, it was very good.

There was always a good selection of broiled fish, steakettes, chops and chicken if the main selections didn't suit. If all else failed, there was always the pasta bar.

On our first few trips to the hotel, years ago, there was always a good selection of cold cuts, olives, cheeses, carrots and things like that so you could make up a little hors d'oeuvre tray before dinner. This no longer appears to be the case. There's some, but the selections are sparse. Nice cheese, olives and pickles are RARE.

Like last year, in the mornings, bacon was served only about two or three times per week. When a fresh tray appeared, it was like pit bulls on a poodle; the tray emptied quickly! Seems Canadians like their bacon. Sausages were available the other days, and they were very nice sausages. The best part about breakfast was the omelet and fried egg station. One of the other guests referred to them as killer omelets and I have to agree. They were great.

PHOTOS: For a virtual tour and slide show, see http://www.bobfromcanada.com and select the show. For photos see this site.

THE ROOMS: There are no marble floors or walls, and the buildings are "standard" Caribbean construction that consists of stuccoed concrete block, terra cotta tile floors, and very plain ceramic tile in the bathroom. As I've said many times before, it wouldn't have been my colour choice, but ......

We were in B wing and we had the same room as last year, by our request. It was super clean and there was lots of hot water. We were at the far end of the wing and it was a 'little' distance to the hot water tank, so it took a short while.

We noticed new taps in the bathroom, a new shower head and a brand new shower curtain. New pictures were hung on the walls. It also appeared that the room had recently been painted.

The room was comfortable and everything worked. Towels and bedding were changed daily (yes daily) and the floors were swept and mopped. No complaints here.

We even got wash cloths; a rarity in the DR (but getting them might have been due to our repeater status). My advice would be to take your own just in case. We did, and made sure they were a different colour so they wouldn't get mixed in with the hotel's.

The bathroom was equipped with a hair dryer and had a wicker basket with shampoos, conditioners and a sewing kit. The mattress on the bed was very thick and very comfortable. The linens were of good quality and changed daily. The towels were also changed daily, but some days there was a short period between having the old towels removed and the replacements arriving. No big deal.

The hotel rooms are pretty basic, but serviceable and reasonably well maintained. Sure, you can find things wrong, but usually it's something pretty minor. Sometimes it's not quite so minor, and some adjustment has to be made. We met one individual who was in the middle of a six week (yes six week) stay. For some reason, after three weeks, bats suddenly found their way into the room and were pooping on his bed. Maintenance found a void and plugged it. That resolved that issue. Another couple got a beautiful room, but it seems some bees swarmed into the room, so they had to change rooms. Naturally, it would take a while to eliminate the pests, and this should be done at night when the bees are sleeping. They didn't like the second room as well, and later got moved to a third room at their request, and were quite happy with it.

Most rooms, say 60 per cent, have balconies or terraces while the rest don't. If it's an issue for you, yes you 'can' get a balcony, but you have to be persistent. On a previous trip to another 4 star hotel, we noted that all the rooms had balconies; they were rarely used. In our case, my wife has a sun allergy, so she spends a fair bit of time in the room. We like the balcony and we like being out in the fresh air, so it's important to us.

As I mentioned, we got the same room as in previous years. I can't believe how the trees and greenery have grown. Even though we faced the pool and activity areas, it seemed very private. Our room had two queen size beds, a bedside table between them, a phone, a large balcony, a bureau with large drawers, satellite TV and a large closet. The bed mattress was nearly brand new, firm and very comfortable. Interestingly enough, this year there was no large bottle of water in the room, but there was bottled water in the fridge. This may have just been our room since we saw other people that did have the jug. You DON'T drink the tap water; for that matter, you probably shouldn't even use the tap water to brush your teeth. This might be being over cautious, but why take the chance. The tap water is essentially untreated, so there are no guarantees as to what might be living in it.

We rarely turned on the air-conditioning. As usual, we opened all the windows since the AC really wasn't necessary. The room remained very comfortable over the entire two week period. Frankly, we found the weather a bit cooler than normal this year, and actually used the blanket a few times.

As I said, it was clean. The maid service was excellent; the room was cleaned and the bed linens and towels were changed daily. Most of them were of high quality, but some had seen 'a little use'. No big deal; I wouldn't throw out a towel just because it had a small hole either.

When closed up for a while, the room seemed a little musty, especially in the dead air space by the closed door, but this cleared within minutes when the patio door was opened. Remember, this is the tropics, so the humidity is a little high. I didn't spot any mildew, and I looked.

Hydro is expensive in the DR. Like most of the hotels, you have to insert a card into a slot in the wall to enable the room power. There is also an interlock on the patio door that inhibits operation of the air conditioning if the door was open. Considering the price of power in the DR, this is a reasonable solution.

THE GROUNDS: Fun Royale / Fun Tropicale is a very nice and well maintained resort. There is always someone sweeping, pruning or raking. There are three swimming pools. These are the activity pool (somewhat NOISY since this is where the activity takes place), the quiet 'adult only' pool and one near the kids club, nominally reserved for children, but generally used by anyone who wanted some peace and quiet. They appeared clean and well maintained. As I mentioned, there is a small army of grounds-keepers that are constantly raking, pruning and cleaning. I even noticed them using a floor scrubbing machine with soap and bleach to clean the sidewalks and patio.

The beach is nice, but not spectacular. Some days the sea was quite clear and others it was somewhat murky. Except for one or two days, there was little or no seaweed. When it did wash ashore, it was raked and carted away by noon. There's a "bit of coral" in the sea in front of the beach club, so some caution is required. A short walk in either direction leads to hazard free swimming. You don't have to swim in the hotel's area since the entire beach is public. However, if you go too far, it's a long walk back to the bar!

From the hotel gate, it's an easy and scenic 6 minute walk alongside the golf course to the beach (I timed it) and if you don't want to walk, there is a frequent shuttle service. Something like a Caribbean hay ride. We took it a few times just for the fun of it.

If you want to participate, the activities at the pool are terrific with a great activity (animacion) staff. The speakers have been aimed away from the residential areas, which helped reduce the noise level in the hotel rooms. There didn't seem to be much organized beach activities. One day the guy showed up and couldn't get any interest, so he left. So beach volleyball was a pick-up, do it yourself operation. At the activity pool, there's usually something going on from 10 am to 5 pm, lots of fun every day. Other activities with the all-inclusive package include free horseback riding, mini golf (7 holes ???), shuffleboard, ping pong, Spanish lessons, darts, pool basketball, water polo, water aerobics. There was usually a bingo (extra cost), a coin operated pool table. In the evenings, they organized tours to casinos, discos or into town (all at a nominal cost which seemed quite reasonable).

There is entertainment each night (outdoor stage, weather dependant) which varies between dance shows and some audience participation. The shows mostly consist of dancing and lip sync to recorded music, which some people would consider cheesy, but the dancers are pretty good and put a lot of effort into it. The shows were pretty much the same as previous years, so we found something else to do. From what we saw, most of the audience seemed to enjoy the performances.

Again this year, I talked to several guests who thought that having a small local group play near the 24 hour bar in the evenings would be a great idea. Things like a piano bar alternating with a small dance band or local music would do. Personally, I too would like to see some more local entertainment. I suggested this a few years ago, but the response was that it was deemed to be too expensive. Somehow, the hotel we visited in December managed this. It was quite popular. But, then again, it was a larger hotel and a little more expensive.

Personally, I would also like to see more use made out of the beach club in the evenings.

The food, facilities and public areas were all good. The public washrooms could use a bit of a facelift. Dominican plumbing seems a little weak. The toilets seem to get plugged up a lot; that makes you wonder what people are throwing down them. In the DR, there's lots of water to flush, but the systems do seem to have trouble.

The main dining room (buffet) is very attractive. It gives you a choice of three eating areas. The first area is well inside, but open to the air on three sides, the second area is also covered in with a translucent ceiling, and the third is outside with tables under umbrellas. These overlook the golf course and one of the ponds. Most of the tables are candlelit at night. Very attractive. We didn't even see this feature at the 4 and 5 star hotels we have stayed at.

FOOD: The Italian and Brazilian restaurants were very good. The buffet was also quite good. The food was excellent, plain but not fancy. They did a pretty good job of avoiding repetition. During our stay, we had various kinds of fish, roast suckling pork, pork chops, roast beef, lamb, turkey, chicken, ham and various types of stews. With the addition of the BBQ station, the carvery was not used as much as in previous years. My wife especially enjoyed the cooked-to-order pasta dishes.

Wine is available by the glass (red and white) and you simply help yourself to what you want. The wine wasn't vintage, but it was quite drinkable this year.

BEACH CLUB: The beach club serves lunch and snacks daily. As usual, the rotisserie BBQ chicken was excellent. It used to be 'to die for', but the recipe is a mite different, so I've downgraded it to 'Excellent with a capital E'. They also served fish, burgers, hot dogs, great fries, salads and fresh fruit every day.

SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS: The two specialty dining restaurants (reservations required, no extra charge) consist of an Mediterranean (Italian) and a Brazilian restaurant. The Italian one is inside, closed off and air-conditioned. It was excellent this year. We managed two trips there. Both were excellent. No complaints whatsoever. As usual, the Brazilian restaurant was a meat eater's delight. Everything was cooked over a genuine charcoal fire. You get a little of everything (chicken, sausage, pork chop, roast pork, ham, roast beef and yes BBQ pineapple) all carved off of a sword onto your plate. This year the BBQ roast beef was excellent; you could have cut it with your fork. It all adds up to a LOT of meat. It's all accompanied by fries, rice and a small salad bar. Go there hungry! Vegetarians, it might be best to go somewhere else! We went there once during the two week period. We were ready to go again, but just plain ran out of time.

Oh yes, in case you get 'hungry' during the afternoon, there is a pizza place near the main pool that serves quite good pizza. It has changed name from Popeye's to Bella Napoli. The pizza is different from what you get at home, but good. Note that you don't get to order what you want; they make pretty much what they want and you take whatever slice(s) look appetizing to you.

MISC (in no particular order):

It's still a very friendly hotel. There are a lot of 'holas' from the staff. We had no real language problems with the front desk, waiters or bartenders. The grounds keepers and maids didn't speak much English, but we had no real problems communicating with them either. In a pinch, sign language works well!

The currency exchange on site is run by a real bank, not the hotel. The exchange rates were about as good as you could get in town. The posted rates while we were there were 33 pesos to the $US, 24 pesos to the $CDN - so when it comes to the $US vs $CDN debate, you do the math! The double exchange is still worth it.

At breakfast, for the most part, the fruit juice wasn't pure juice. But if you went back to the juice/fruit bar, there was usually at least one dispenser of real juice.

The mini golf and shuffleboard equipment has seen better days. Last year, the shuffleboard quoits seemed to be an indoor type; they were far too light. This year they had the proper ones. They had replaced the traditional triangular scoring area with a square grid, and it's still there. WE never got around to trying the miniature golf, so I can't comment on the equipment. Last year the grips on the golf clubs were saturated with sun tan oil and starting to disintegrate. They were not pleasant to touch! This year, who knows?

I still can't believe the number of people that treat the buffet like a cafeteria. Year after year we see people who get their food, then run around looking for a table. Then they complain that the food isn't hot. Geez, get a table, then go get the food!

OK, sometimes the food was lukewarm. The cooling trays for the stuff that was supposed to be cold sometimes worked too well and the food was frozen to the serving dish. The heating trays were not quite as efficient, but kitchen staff were constantly replacing with full dishes from the kitchen. The food serving stations were all equipped with sneeze-shield, just like a buffet restaurant here. The guys on the grill all wore masks and wore rubber gloves. This seemed to me to be over cautious. There's not a bug in the world that's going to survive that grill temperature.

WHAT WE LIKED: We have no real complaints. It's a nice place and good value for the money, unless you are really fussy. The food is pretty good. It's nothing gourmet, but there's lots of choices and a good variety. All the bars are still serving Presidente beer. The house wine is OK. The rotisserie BBQ chicken at the beach bar is VERY good.

WHAT WE DIDN'T LIKE: You know, it's the little things that get you. Like only one key for the room. This can turn into a major annoyance, especially if you're each doing something different, or one person retires early.

Another annoyance was the fact that they changed the phone system recently but didn't follow through. Now the card on the table identifying the number for guest services no longer functions. Also the same number was on the welcome to the hotel letter and the invitation to the repeater's party. It's minor, but how hard is it to update the form letter so that it shows the right number.

There was not as much bacon at breakfast as I would like, but the sausage was good. The Dominicans usually do a pretty good job on pork products. Their beef is sometimes a little chewy, but with good flavour. This year we actually got some good beef.

The in-room fridge was stocked with canned Bohemia instead of bottled Presidente this year. I managed to get a few day's grace and got a few days with Presidente, which I prefer. The big issue here was that it was canned beer, which I don't really care for.

There still seems to be an issue with incoming phone calls. Several times friends phoning in from town were told that we were not there. And sometimes messages were not passed. Fortunately, none of them were 'important'.

Two ladies down the hall from us got locked out. They had the key, but it would not turn the cylinder. I phoned the front desk about it. Someone should have been there within a few minutes. We managed to eventually get them in by wiggling the key. However, no one showed up to assist the ladies. They had the same thing happen several more times. I did get the problem resolved, but I had to move up the management ladder a bit. This shouldn't have been necessary.

There also are some little things that need attention. There are loose taps in the public washrooms at the new beach club. There are urinals in the men's washroom near the main buffet that haven't flushed properly in the 7 years we've been going there. There's no water pressure for the flush. It would appear that the cleaners are flushing it using a bucket of water because it was always clean. The bottom step from the shower area at the beach club to the beach could be improved.

MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS: With my connections to the discussion forums at Debbie's, I had a lengthy "meet & greet" list. I managed to meet all but two on the list, which is pretty amazing since we had no pre-arranged meeting places or times. I was also recognized by at least 6 other couples who either came up to me out of the blue or asked if I was BobFromCanada in the middle of a conversation.

We noticed a new feature at the hotel this year. They have added a reserved section for the time share/vacation club people this year. They have new loungers and drink service to these loungers.

They have a weekly beach party with a bonfire on the beach. This has the potential to be a lot of fun, but ..... Personally, I wish they would do away with the silly party games, set a dance and sitting area, light the fire, open the bar, play some music and let the people party. Every time the dancing and partying just got started, they would stop the music and play some game. That took care of that.

I got involved in assisting with wedding arrangements for another couple about a week before our arrival. As a result, we were invited to the wedding, and I have to say that the hotel did a great job. The decor, ambience and the ceremony were very well done. Photos of this are posted with the photo set.

We noticed that on their day off, a lot of the staff turned up at the beach club, with their families. This shows that the hotel is a great work environment.

Anyone who has been there before will have trouble recognizing the beach. After the restoration, everything from Paradise beach back to the Orange Market is changed. And the old Orange Market is history. They have all moved into the new facility. It's lost some of it's charm, but it really is a better arrangement.

Would we go back? In a word, YES! We are already planning our next trip.

QUESTIONS: email robertdungan2002x@yahoo.ca (anti-spam remove the X)