Hotels in San Felipe de Puerto Plata

Location: Within 15 – 20 minutes of the airport. Near 2 other hotels and a golf course, 2 mini malls with a restaurant and a few shops. Room: We stayed in the Catalina building in room 2203 and it was great and very clean. They provided a hair dryer, shampoo / conditioner, shower cap, soap, etc. and the bathroom was spotless. There was a closet with shelves in the front and there was also a balcony overlooking the pool. The bed was very comfortable and there was a flatscreen TV and a desk. There was also air conditioning which made the experience very comfortable. Atmosphere: There were A LOT of families, senior citizens and spring breakers at this resort. The pool was large, gorgeous with a swim up bar and a great temperature. Since this is an all-inclusive resort the drinks were free as well the food. They offered many activities throughout the day including water aerobics, pineapple toss, dance class, etc. They also have a section for kids as well as nightly entertainment (i.e. magic shows). Most of the chairs at the pool are claimed by 8am with towels, so get down there early! There is direct beach access, which gets very crowded with chairs by 11am. There are A LOT of beach vendors but if you pretend you’re sleeping or say “no thank you” they’ll leave you alone. The water is clear and warm. There’s also a private beach which you get with the upgraded package, but we decided not to pay an additional $40/night per person. Also, they say free Wi-Fi but it’s only in the “theater area” and barely connects. You have to pay for it in your room. Staff: Very mixed results. Some staff was super friendly and went out of their way to ensure we were happy and had everything to make our stay enjoyable, while others acted like they couldn’t be bothered. I would like to see management create a consistent experience across all of their staff. For example, I had an allergic reaction to the shellfish (I wasn’t allergic prior... may have been the type of squid served) and my girlfriend we went to find me Benedryl. We went to both gift shops and they were EXTREMELY unhelpful. My girlfriend said my face was swollen and she was in a panic to get me medicine and one of cashiers was on the phone on a personal call hanging out and was no help at all. Luckily another guest told us there was a mini mall down the street that had a pharmacy where we could get Benedryl (ended up paying $11 for 12 tablets which was more $$ than normal). PS I'm fully healed :) Food: The food was terrible. Although it’s all-inclusive, we found the food to be inedible. The breakfast offered an omelet station your choice of green peppers, tomatoes, cheese, ham and corn or fried eggs and those were good. They also have a smoothie bar and if you ask for the “smoothie especial” they’ll give you an amazing creation by one of the staff. For lunch we ate salad with olives and chickpeas. The beef is extremely tough and fatty and the pasta was rubbery. We had dinner at the Italian restaurant on the grounds of the hotel and the meal was just as bad (the meal was included in the all-inclusive package).

The beach and the staff (excluding the lobby) lobby staff was not trained, wanted me to pay again for a paid in full reservation because they didn't want to call Kayak to check. "Superior room" was really a good enough to sleep room, the bathroom's tiny shower clogged where, while showering" I had to turn off the water every 5 mins and wait for 10 mins to turn on again, room phone was not functioning, deteriorated facilities, not enough staff, pools were all shallow the deepest I think was 4"9 and this is an adults only resort. The food was D+. I will never go back!

The food was very good, even though variability wasn't the main focus of the chef. Don't get me wrong the hotel is good, the thing is i am a local, hence i have more to do outside of the hotel than inside. bathrooms were too small, limited activities

When they checked me in my room which was marginal at best...the door was wide open to the outside allowing Mosquitos to enter . The room was loaded with them!!! Rather then giving me another room,they brought in a can of raid.I then took control and sprayed the the place down. I then left for a few hours and on return...more Mosquitos to find.I then learned that the windows, behind the drapes had been left open as well in both the bedroom and bathroom....I sprayed again then left for a few more hours.they said that they wood deliver a can of Raid to the room and leave for me to use as needed.i got caught up in the activities provided and didn't return to my room until midnight.Yes...more mosquitos flying around and on the walks and ceiling.I then went to the front desk and asked for the spray they didn't deliver and was told that house keeping was closed and to come back in the morning.i told them that I was going to sleep in the lobby.They then gave me a huge blanket and said for me to cover myself from head to toe and they would take care of things until the morning.Im glad I brought insect repellent and littelery covered my entire body with It !!! I then covered myself with the blanket as they said and needless to say....Didn't sleep but a wink!!! Also,the room they set me up in was a the end of their prosperity on the line with a shabby fence separating me from the jungle. The room had nonfunctional AC controls ! As I was returning to my room that evening to retire, i can around the corner to find a security guy tucked in the corner of my building which anyone would have freeked out for he was in a dark space.I then learned from him that he was going to stay all night because the locals come to their properity to rob the guest!!! As I watched him for a while from my window, he kept quietly walking up and down the side of the fence stoping and listening for intruders. Thank God I was there for only one night! The bottom line is! If you value your life....STAY AWAY! I will be posting this on YouTube soon!

Beach front is gorgeous. Best part of the resort! Rooms were not super clean. You could tell the place needs some serious work done. Food was mediocre and so were the drinks. Definitely a party atmosphere. Not what we expected and we will not be returning.

The staff was very friendly and responsive. Antonia at the spa was a fabulous masseuse. We are from Vegas and know what good/great accomodations and food are all about. This is a sub-par property. For the price I marked it as Okay. The bed was hard and the pillows felt like bags of golf balls. They need to find a chef who knows how to cook. The food was aweful. Two nice pools and another for "members' only but no jacuzzi on the property.