Latest reviews in Dominican Republic

Amo a este pais me encanta este hotel!!! (MariaHorswell, 24-01-2012) 5

This hotel made my holiday. The company wasn't the best but i didn't let that ruin an amazing holiday in an amazing country. I could not fault anything, transfer time from the airport was acceptable. Many hotels that claim to be a five star sometimes aren't compared to Western Standards but this one really took my breath away. Perfect, just perfect (tiernancolgan, 28-03-2011) 5

Not really much to this airport. Air con was broken when i got there so it was like an oven. Love the country, love the people. Want to go back again soon (tiernancolgan, 28-03-2011) 4

Perfect & cheap place in the heart of Zona Colonial (old town) of Santo Domingo. You'll meet interesting travelers from all around the world plus all sights, restaurants & shops in a footwalking range! I booked via hostels.com The owner of this place (Bettey) is an old Lady from the USA and both private and mixed multi-bed dorms are available if you book in advance... (jazyjaf, 22-12-2010) 4

What a wonderful hotel. I took a two week holiday here a couple of years ago with my then boyfriend. We had planned to go to Mexico but our hotel was destroyed in the hurricane that year so we decided on the Domincan Republic as a alternative. The travel agent suggested Superclubs Breezes in Punta Cana and it was fabulous! The holiday was very good value for money (I have struggled to find another hotel which ticks so many boxes at such a reasonable price). We paid around £1,700 for a fortnight package deal for both of us. The room was clean and right on the beach-front. It did take a few days to get used to sleeping through the sounds of the waves crashing in on the shore, but I wasn't about to moan about that! This place was paradise! The staff were friendly, the room was kept tidy and freshly stocked. The maid cleaned the room and made the beds daily and on every other day re-stocked the towels. The linen was changed once a week. The food here was great. There was a buffet dining area which was more than adequate. I would have been happy with just that for the price we paid but they also had 5 Al a Carte restaurants including traditional Domincan, Chinese, French and Italian and another which escapes me! But they were all marvelous, I assure you! I came back on Christmas Eve 2005 and have been meaning to go back ever since. I will get round to it one day! Please do not be put off by some of the fussy reviews on other review sites. This place is great! (samvickers, 20-11-2008) 5

This is a lovely hotel. The rooms are beautiful, the balconies delightful and the staff are wonderfully friendly even when they don't share a common language. You're treated like kings from the very start with a glass of sparkly while you wait to check in. The room staff do a good job and leave all sorts of towel origami concoctions for you if you tip them well. The grounds are very well kept with a beautiful pool surrounded by plenty of sunbeds. Some sunbeds look more like kingsize four poster beds and if you can get to them early enough they're very comfortable. The beach is clean with waiter service bringing you cocktails on demand (hey, if you go all inclusive then why not?!) and you can get involved in cooking lunch on the giant cooker right on the beach. The sea is clear and warm, although can be rocky in places so if you have shoes you can wear in water they'd make a difference. Also make sure you go for a walk around the grounds - there's plenty around to surprise you. The resident flamingoes, for example, or perhaps the two parrots who are pretty keen on coconut if you can find some to bring to them. The hotel offers all sorts of trips and excursions which can also be booked through your tour operator and there are professional photographers who will do anything from take one photo to painting your photograph right up to creating an entire book documenting your stay. I didn't buy any of these but saw the samples and they looked nice for honeymooners or anyone else who wants a lifelong memento of a great holiday. The hotel is split into two halves with the club guests getting 'better' rooms and more variety in the buffet. I stayed in the regular half and had absolutely no complaints, although did cheekily take advantage of the club's half of the beach which has far more space and shades available. If I went back (and I wouldn't say no) I'd still consider the upgrade but would um and ah over whether it was worth the expense. The only downfall is that the food isn't brilliant. I never had a problem finding something I fancied but it wasn't exactly gourmet. There are a decent variety of restaurants at the hotel to choose from and if you stay two weeks you'll have a good idea of which you like best by the end of it. You don't have to book any of them in advance like you have to in some hotels, which I preferred although it did mean you occasionally had a wait for a table in the more popular or smaller restaurants. All in all though, a fabulous holiday and a brilliant hotel. (ninja_lynneja, 15-11-2008) 5

Lovely resort on the beach at Boca Chica. Nice clean rooms, I luckilly had one of the ones right over the beach although they all looked like they would have nice views. Has a great beach with very calm waters thanks to the coral reef a few hundred yards out. Watch out for crabs falling out of the trees that grow on the little islands off the beach! Also, the nightlife in Boca Chica is interesting, its known as the Amsterdam of the Dominican republic thanks to the "working girls" that are abundant in the streets of a night. Although this can be a little irratating after a while dont let it put you off going out, there are some really nice little bars in the town itself. The food at the hotel was good with a buffet style restaraunt as well as an Al a carte restaraunt, there is also a snack bar that does burgers & hotdogs. The Iced Pina coladas from the bar are great, ask for a little extra rum in them for a good night. Some bright spark thought it was a good idea to put dark colour tiles around the pool area, it wasnt, they get blisteringly hot in the sun and painful to walk on so take your flip-flops! (Plushchris, 08-10-2008) 4

Having just recently returned from the best holiday I have had I feel I should share this place with anyone else looking for an amazing holiday. The riu mambo is part of a complex of three interlinked hotels (riu mambo, riu merengue, riu barchata). Each of the hotels has similar facilities and guests are allowed to use the facilities in any of the hotels with the only exception being certain mealtimes. As an all inclusive hotel all your food, drink and certain activities are covered but there are plenty of worthwhile excursions available for a very reasonable price. The rooms were very well looked after and cleaned spotless everyday. This included a mini-bar and fridge that was restocked daily with fresh water, pop and beer. The food was exceptional with something to suit everyone. Meals were buffet style breakfast, lunch and dinner with snack bars open throughout the day. There was a wide selection of foods stretching from the staple pastas, meats and rice to local specialities and it seemed as though there was something new to try each night. The entertainment was excellent with the entertainment staff working all day long to keep everyone amused and having a good time. For the more active holidayers there was plenty of daytime activities such as organised games and aerobics etc, and if you prefer just to lay back and relax then nobody pesters you to take part. Each night there was a different show on that was great to watch and really well performed. My favourite night of the holiday was spent when a street carnival was put on with live music and dancing along with local tradesmen selling their wares. All in all this was an amazing place for a holiday and somewhere I will definately be returning to. NOTE: this hotel is not in Santo Domingo but had to be entered here as nowhere else would come up for the Dominican Republic (stevebuck83, 27-09-2008) 5

Riu Bambu is breath taking. You have a lovely room set in apartment style blocks at the front of the hotel. You have a wonderful main restaurant with a different variety of food every night and fresh meat that the chef will cook for you in front of you if you do not like what's on offer. You also have 2 other restaurants within this hotel to choose from a steak house and the pool bar. Not to mention the fact that you can go to any of the other 4 hotels and eat in their restaurants. The beach is amazing with soft white sand and warm water. You can walk around the hotels and watch the shows in any of the hotels, you also have street displays aswell with dancing and singing etc. You have a variety of shops within the complex also. At night once the shows are over you can go to the casino or to Pacha which is an on site night club again suitable for most ages as there is a seating area outside also. I would recommend this hotel to anyone going to Dominican republic the staff make it that much more of an experience because they are so nice and friendly and teaching you how to merengua on the beaches etc (kelblundell, 11-08-2008) 5

NOTE: This hotel is NOT in Santo Domingo, but Qype couldn't find "Puerto Plata" as the town even though that's the airport we flew into! We just got back from a wonderful honeymoon in the Dominican Republic – staying at the Victoria Golf & Beach Resort, Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata. This was booked through Thomas Cook. FLIGHTS It was a 9-hour flight from London Gatwick. Thomas Cook have recently improved their planes slightly and have increased the seat pitch to match that of Virgin/BA/etc. However, there’s still just something lacking in their service. For one, you have to pay for any drinks outside of tea/coffee offered after meals. Two, the ‘entertainment’ offered is minimal compared with other transatlantic flights I’ve taken and fairly low quality. Our flight out had interactive movies/TV but the flight home was the pre-programmed kind where you can’t stop & start. Also, even though you have more legroom, the seats are VERY narrow. I’m not super-slim, no, but I’m not wide either and I felt squashed the entire time – especially my shoulders! The whole plane just feels small and cramped. The attendants generally made the best of it and provided a decent service, but I guess they can only do so much with a budget airline. Upon arrival, there was a Thomas Cook rep standing right outside, just as we were told. It was really easy to find the coach transfer, as they have everyone sorted by what hotel they’re staying in. Kindly, they also provided some bottle water, since we landed in the middle of a hot Dominican afternoon! On the way in, the rep gave some tips over the PA but they were same stuff you find in TC’s literature about the DR. LOCATION The Victoria was the 2nd stop on the coach from the airport. Only us & another couple got off, so lucky there was no queue to check into our room. We knew we had wanted to upgrade when we got there, and the receptionist/manager was very helpful in changing our room. It take some time while he organised payment & stuff, but they were really nice and let us freshen up in our original room while our new suite was being prepared. 30 minutes later we were escorted to the honeymoon suite! ROOM We did catch a glimpse at one of the regular rooms, like I said above, so I hope my review of the hotel is still objective. The rooms were clean and well-laid out. The mini-fridges (part of all-inclusive) are stocked daily & if you leave a nice note + tip for the maid, she will put in whatever you ask for!(for instance, I asked for “mucho agua” and got 6 bottles everyday!) As for the honeymoon suite specifically, here are the additional items the room offered: suite-set up of 2 wicker chairs + mini table, much larger and better-decorated bathroom with luxurious walk-in double shower with ‘rain’ style of shower head, significantly larger terrace with 2 sun loungers (instead of plastic chairs) and private Jacuzzi/spa bath, super king-sized 4 poster bed (I think the regular rooms were about a king sized bed), mini kitchenette with sink (regular rooms just had the coffee maker on a shelf somewhere). All rooms offer the mini-fridge, TV with cable channels, telephone, walk-in closet with shelves, hanging rail, iron and luggage rack. I know it’s common in a lot of hotels, but I didn’t like that the air conditioning would turn off when the terrace door was open. Our door was very heavy and sticky and a bit difficult to close. One night, our A/C stopped working completely, but a guy came instantly to fix it and after fiddling for a few minutes, it was fine. PUBLIC SPACES The Victoria is immacutely kept. The grounds are stunning and all the spaces are very, very clean. Every morning we’d see tons of employees sweeping and cleaning constantly. They really do keep a very high standard, so you won’t be disappointed. The ‘main’ pool is a bit boring and was never very busy. The adults-only pool is much nicer and has a waterfall feature and private little pool attached to it (like a Jacuzzi but not hot). It’s very popular, so get your towels down early. The only drawback is it’s adjacent to the golf course and I actually got hit by a stray ball! I’m sure this rarely happens, so don’t let it put you off (only gave me a small bruise). The bar will keep you supplied with cocktails all day long and it's a very peaceful place to lay. FOOD The main dining room is your traditional all-inclusive hotel buffet. The food isn’t super-awesome cordon bleu, no, but it’s perfectly fine too. Some meals were better than others. For lunch/dinner, there is always some sort of roasted/cooked meat from the ‘carvery’ (ham, roast beef, baked fish, etc.). For lunch there was always hamburgers & hot dogs offered if you didn’t like the dishes served. The service provided during meals was very attentive and pleasant. We did use the pizzeria one night as a nice alternative (again, nothing special, but perfectly serviceable). The best food is at the á la carte restaurant which much be pre-booked by 3pm on the day. The ‘free’ food offered is absolutely delicious and presented with flair & those who want can purchase nicer dinners like steak and lobster. We didn’t pay an extra penny and still received immaculate service by the waiters. The “Tex-Mex” (not really…) restaurant on the beach is nice as well. They offered sandwiches, burgers, chips and tacos but are only open for lunch. BEACH The beach really is about 10 minutes away, but you will need to take the free shuttle the first time you go, as it can be hard to find if you don’t know where you are going. The hotel’s beach is private so no invasion by outsiders. The only “invasion” is the incessant beach vendors that sometimes come by every few minutes. Just pretend to sleep and they won’t generally bother you! Usually a simple no will make them go away, but be careful of the more persistent. Some do have some really good deals, so don’t be afraid to barter (we got a bracelet down from 500 pesos to 200 just by pretending to not have enough money). This might be a bit obvious, but the cigar sellers are NOT selling real Cohibas – nice cigars, just not authentic! There are lots of umbrellas if you need some shade and a hotel employee will put out loungers for you. There's also kayaking offered for free and other water sports for a price - the booth is on the Victoria's patch of beach, so it's convenient if you want to water-ski, windsurf, etc. The sand is golden and soft and the water was very calm. The beach can get windy at times, but this never bothered us. Be really careful of the sun, as it’s a lot more intense than you might think! I grew up in a hot and sunny climate and still got really sunburned. STAFF Generally very friendly. Always say hi as you are passing and very quick with offering drinks/clearing plates/etc. Anytime we needed something, they were always prompt and courteous. Their English is generally good, so I don’t know what people complain about. EXTRAS There’s a little gift shop on the hotel premises that sells essentials like sunscreen and potato chips. The other little shop has daily newspapers and magazines. The prices are a tiny bit higher than the nearby shopping plaza, but not much more. There’s a small internet center that offers computers for 700 pesos per 30 minutes. I think there’s free Wifi in the lobby. Entertainment is pretty mainstream and low-key. We rarely participated and weren’t really interested. The staff do try, but it’s a hard job as the Victoria is never very full and the type of people staying aren’t too interested in that sort of thing. We purposefully picked this hotel because it is peaceful…so if you want raucous entertainment, go somewhere else. We made our fun. Conveniently, if you upgrade to the junior or honeymoon suites, you get privileges at their sister hotel, the Gran Ventana. The GV is generally much livelier and so you can easily go there for your evening entertainment. The weather actually wasn't as hot as I was expecting (90F, average), but the sun is INTENSE. It only rained one afternoon the week we stayed. OVERALL An absolutely exceptional hotel that provided a wonderful holiday. Like other reviewers have said, the Victoria is a quiet, adult-oriented hotel. I think being attached to a golf course keeps it that way. We never had anything to complain about and the staff work hard for you. We tipped where necessary (porter, maid and table-service in the á la carte restaurant) but received excellent service in EVERY part of the hotel. It’s conveniently located both near the airport (15 minute drive) and 5 minutes from its private beach section. Also, the Playa Dorada shopping plaza (with cash points, cinema, food, gifts, excursion-booking, etc.) is about 5-10 minutes away. We would go back to this hotel most definitely, the next time we are looking at a Caribbean holiday. Excellent value for money. All those booking with TC, our rep was on-site at least every other day and EXTREMELY helpful. For times he wasn’t around, we got our questions answered at hotel reception. (P.S. If you upgrade, it’s definitely worth going to the Gran Ventana for time to time. We would’ve been perfectly happy had we not upgraded, but it was nice to have the chance to visit somewhere. The GV is much bigger and so the meals do offer a bit more selection & choice. Also, their pool is HUGE with a swim-up bar under a large canopy, so is useful when you want to swim but not get any sun.) Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions – I can’t praise the Victoria or Playa Dorada enough. (aless02, 24-07-2008) 5