Our first application of DR1 advice...
Here is a small idea of what Playa Dorada is like. Imagine a horseshoe shape bar. Around this bar are 15 bar stools. 14 of these barstools represent not a single hotel, but a hotel complex. Large, sprawling complexes each with thousands of rooms, 3 or 4 swimming pools, 3 or 4 restaurants, tennis courts, etc. Yeah, huge, freaking barstools. Three of these barstools have also have casinos on their property.
The 15th barstool is a shopping complex called the Puerto Plata Plaza. Restaurants, a movie house, souvenir shops.
Each hotel complex is gated and the entire Playa Dorada area itself is gated. There's a road that is horseshoe-shaped and each hotel complex has a secured road leading off this main road. That night we walked the main road to get a feeling of our surroundings. Too, we did not have to sign up for the all-inclusive as soon as we checked in and I wanted to see what else was available for the midnight munchies.
It is a long walk. Fun Tropicale is the second complex in on the near side, so we had to pass 10 or 11 other complexes as we walked the horseshoe to the Plaza. We passed the Chinese (Jade Garden) place before we went into the Plaza.
We found a Pizza Hut in the plaza and that place was jumping! It was doing a great business on that Saturday night and the food was fantastic. The menu is in Spanish, but the pictures are international.
After eating we cruised the Amber shop and few other stores in the Plaza and decided to finish the horseshoe. Of course we were in the no-man's land of the dark road when the single most necessary Spanish phrase popped in our minds... Donde esta bano?
We popped into the Jack Tar American casino and headed for the restrooms. Business taken care of, we looked around. It is a small place. About 150 slot machines all mostly nickels. There were a few quarter machines but they all looked like they were hooked up to a Progressive of some type.
There were a few black jack tables in play. Roulette, a Carribean Stud table and a three card Poker table that was not in play. There was a sign proclaiming 7-card Texas Hold'em, but the receptionist said it was just a sign, they do not have a Hold'em table.
Deciding not to play our first night in we stepped outside and hailed a cab. Remembering the advice of DR1, "ask how much before you get in the cab and be willing to walk away if it is too much", I asked how much. He wanted 300 pesos.
Understand that we are now over 24 hours since starting our journey to get here, over 36 hours since we've had any sleep that counts. I literally felt my wife's heart drop when I said, "Too much, we walk!" A third party at the casino came up and bartered and we settled at $3.00 USD for the ride. Hey, a penny saved...
It turns out that $3.00 USD is standard for a cab ride within the complex. If you choose the romantic horse and buggy, the same rate applies.
Here is a small idea of what Playa Dorada is like. Imagine a horseshoe shape bar. Around this bar are 15 bar stools. 14 of these barstools represent not a single hotel, but a hotel complex. Large, sprawling complexes each with thousands of rooms, 3 or 4 swimming pools, 3 or 4 restaurants, tennis courts, etc. Yeah, huge, freaking barstools. Three of these barstools have also have casinos on their property.
The 15th barstool is a shopping complex called the Puerto Plata Plaza. Restaurants, a movie house, souvenir shops.
Each hotel complex is gated and the entire Playa Dorada area itself is gated. There's a road that is horseshoe-shaped and each hotel complex has a secured road leading off this main road. That night we walked the main road to get a feeling of our surroundings. Too, we did not have to sign up for the all-inclusive as soon as we checked in and I wanted to see what else was available for the midnight munchies.
It is a long walk. Fun Tropicale is the second complex in on the near side, so we had to pass 10 or 11 other complexes as we walked the horseshoe to the Plaza. We passed the Chinese (Jade Garden) place before we went into the Plaza.
We found a Pizza Hut in the plaza and that place was jumping! It was doing a great business on that Saturday night and the food was fantastic. The menu is in Spanish, but the pictures are international.
After eating we cruised the Amber shop and few other stores in the Plaza and decided to finish the horseshoe. Of course we were in the no-man's land of the dark road when the single most necessary Spanish phrase popped in our minds... Donde esta bano?
We popped into the Jack Tar American casino and headed for the restrooms. Business taken care of, we looked around. It is a small place. About 150 slot machines all mostly nickels. There were a few quarter machines but they all looked like they were hooked up to a Progressive of some type.
There were a few black jack tables in play. Roulette, a Carribean Stud table and a three card Poker table that was not in play. There was a sign proclaiming 7-card Texas Hold'em, but the receptionist said it was just a sign, they do not have a Hold'em table.
Deciding not to play our first night in we stepped outside and hailed a cab. Remembering the advice of DR1, "ask how much before you get in the cab and be willing to walk away if it is too much", I asked how much. He wanted 300 pesos.
Understand that we are now over 24 hours since starting our journey to get here, over 36 hours since we've had any sleep that counts. I literally felt my wife's heart drop when I said, "Too much, we walk!" A third party at the casino came up and bartered and we settled at $3.00 USD for the ride. Hey, a penny saved...
It turns out that $3.00 USD is standard for a cab ride within the complex. If you choose the romantic horse and buggy, the same rate applies.