Dorado Club, Puerto Plata

actor45

New member
Jan 21, 2005
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Just got back from a trip on June 26th. The DR is great . The Dorado Club IS NOT!!!!! First the good: Great weather, everyone very friendly. No illnesses( I was worried, but did not do anything special to protect myself other than sunscreen, lots and lots of sunscreen. Beaches were fabulous especially in Sousa. Lots of shopping. Now the not so good.: lots of poverty around the ouitside of the resort. Did not venture out during the vacation except to puerto Plata and sousa. Very nice people but very poor. I would definitely rec. going to these towns.
The Hotel: Totally misrepresented as a five star. was a two star at best. food was barely ok. no air conditioned restaurants at all. the wait staff was ok. the drinks were watered down. best food was at the beach for hotdogs, hamburgers and fried chicken. We took the allinclusive which was a waste. we had to eat out at other restaurants and paid $$$for it. The rooms were spartan and the ac did not work well. I would not go back to this hotel, but I wouild definitlely go back to the DR. By the way, summer is extremely hot. Whe I go back it will be in the winter.
Anyone want any further info, please write
 

planner

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Sep 23, 2002
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Double check that star rating!!!!!!!!! No all inclusive here is a 5 star. If it was represented as such you want to check with whoever sold you this package!

Glad you got out of the resort and checked out the area a little. Come back again real soon.
 

OttawaTom

New member
Dec 15, 2002
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WE stayed there (Hotetur Dorado Club), and had a good time. The rooms are very basic, but the food was fine.

In Canada that resort is sold as a 3 star, which is about right.

You get what you pay for, and I'd go back...

Tom
 

duhtree

New member
Jun 2, 2003
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Sorry for your dissappointment regarding the hotel. But ask yourself a couple of questions and then draw a conclusion.
You probably traveled with someone. And stayed in the same room. Including airfare it cost some where between $600.00 to $800.00 U.S. per person for 7 days.
Do you honestly believe that a 5 star hotel would cost that ?
Have you ever stayed in a 5 star hotel ?
On the other hand I am glad you got off the reservation and experienced a little of what the DR is about. In that regard these mega resorts are the best source of recruiting people to revisit the DR. To get the bad taste of that 1st experience out of your mouth. Come back, John
 

Gringo

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
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Next time you want to come on the cheap

Forget the AI Hotels and get yourself a nice apartment outside the Resorts. Cook your own food or just eat out, You would not get me locked up in one of those compounds. Id be board to tears within an Hr.

Gringo
 

actor45

New member
Jan 21, 2005
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planner said:
Double check that star rating!!!!!!!!! No all inclusive here is a 5 star. If it was represented as such you want to check with whoever sold you this package!

Glad you got out of the resort and checked out the area a little. Come back again real soon.
youre probably right. i guess i just had higher expectations based on the web site and past travels. I definitely like the dr and would come back. thanks for all your help!
 

carina

Silver
Mar 13, 2005
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actor45 said:
youre probably right. i guess i just had higher expectations based on the web site and past travels. I definitely like the dr and would come back. thanks for all your help!

I don?t think there are any 5 star resorts in Playa Dorada.
To sell it as a 5 star resort would be missleading by your travelagent, unless it was a charter.
Charter companies have their own rating, ex 5 xxxxxx (whatever they call it ) is a 5 star rating within their offers in comparence to the other hotels they offer.
That is often missleading as people think it is an international comparence,
and it is not.
It is just a companrence the travel company does between the hotels they offer.
 

Loidin

New member
Jul 9, 2005
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drtampa: "I believe that there is a 5 Star in Playa Dorado, the Casa Colonial. Of course it is not an AI."

Yes Sir! Gran Ventana & Casa Colonial are 5 good *** stars of course u have to pay for their all inclusive...

We dominicans have to start telling :eek: NO to the cheap tourists :eek: trying to get the most fo all inclusive 7 days with round ticket included for US$700... how much does the dominicans have to pay for one of those hotels? US$75 per night at least!!

Where is the dignity from the goverment???? Check in Turks and Caicos and Bahamas!! Let's get up our Standards!!
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
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Let me give you a bit of history on those 5 stars

Way back when that place was Dorado Naco, the rooms were incredible. They had:
Wall to wall thick carpeting
Fully-really full-stocked kitchens
A/C units that could freeze a side of beef
Huge ice machines in every building
Great furniture and lamps
Cable TV with top of the line TV sets.

When the government set out to award stars-and Dorado Naco did get the 5 star rating, it was because the bathrooms had irons and hair dryers as well as incredible comfort.

The dining room - the one with air conditioning- had a great chef, and the other dining areas were pretty good food (I used to eat a lot back then).
Unfortunately, the place never seemed to make any money for the many owners, and with the changes in management and other things, the rooms have been downgraded and , as you report, other things have gotten worse...

However, the people there have always been pretty good to us...

Glad you enjoyed the visit, and I'll give your Report a Passing Grade for accuracy..

Thanks and come back soon.

HB :D:D:D
 

drloca

Silver
Oct 26, 2004
2,097
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Loidin said:
drtampa: "I believe that there is a 5 Star in Playa Dorado, the Casa Colonial. Of course it is not an AI."

Yes Sir! Gran Ventana & Casa Colonial are 5 good *** stars of course u have to pay for their all inclusive...

We dominicans have to start telling :eek: NO to the cheap tourists :eek: trying to get the most fo all inclusive 7 days with round ticket included for US$700... how much does the dominicans have to pay for one of those hotels? US$75 per night at least!!

Where is the dignity from the goverment???? Check in Turks and Caicos and Bahamas!! Let's get up our Standards!!
Sorry to correct you but to clarify, Gran Ventana is rated 4* by Signature vacations who have exclusive rights here in Canada to this resort. I stayed there and dont think it is worth more than about 3*.
 

Gringo

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
1,314
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Let me tell you an interesting story....

I was walking through Playa Dorada one day and saw a man standing on a latter with a can of paint and a paint brush out side a well known Hotel.

So I asked the man what he was going to do with the paint?
He told me he had been told to paint the Star Rating of the Resort on the wall.

I again asked the man how he was told to rate the Resort or how many Stars was he going to paint on the wall?

The man looked in his paint bucket and told me he thought he had enough left for five Stars.

Gringo
 

carina

Silver
Mar 13, 2005
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Casa Colonial is owned by Victoria hotels, located in Playa Dorada.
Belongs the the same group as Gran Ventana and Victoria Resort.
These 3 hotels are Dominican owned, by Isidro Garcia.
 

stormer

New member
Apr 27, 2004
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carina said:
Casa Colonial is owned by Victoria hotels, located in Playa Dorada.
Belongs the the same group as Gran Ventana and Victoria Resort.
These 3 hotels are Dominican owned, by Isidro Garcia.

Which resort is Casa Colonial beside? Where is it located in Playa Dorada?
 

planner

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Sep 23, 2002
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Casa Colonial is beside the Occidental Flamenco. Just go past the entrance to the flamenco and you come to the gates of Casa Colonial. It is the only 5 star in the area. The hotel is absolutely stunning! It is not all inclusive and has a beautiful bar, a llunch restaurant and a dinner restaurant that are all open to the public as is there spa!

Whatever the star rating system that each tour operator uses, be very wary. It won't necessarily match what you expect.
 

carina

Silver
Mar 13, 2005
2,691
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It is a beautiful hotel, but many complain about the agreement they have with the nearby Flamenco hotel, that allows their guests to use the upstairs poolarea at Casa Colonial.
I also don?t understand this, as the guests at Casa Colonial are people who have chosen to avoid the all-inclusive for various reasons.