Victorian House Hotel in Sosua

Viajero

Bronze
Dec 16, 2011
1,593
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Anyone have any updated information on this place? Someone said there was a pool party there the other day. I thought it was a family-oriented venue, but maybe that has changed? Any reviews?
 
May 29, 2006
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Looks like it's going downhill:


As for the room, the scuffed and scratched tile floor from the 1970s was dusty and peppered with beach sand. The tub and bathroom floor had coarse black hair from a previous guest spread about them. One of the bath towels had foundation or dried blood smeared on it. The closet doors, bedframes, and lampshades on the interior sides were covered in dust. The coffeemaker was dirty, dusty, and stained by mold. We were given no bathmat, a rust-stained ironing board with no iron, and a television but with no remote control.
We had asked for a non-smoking king room and received a twin with ashtrays. The shower would not produce hot water, merely lukewarm, and strangely seemed to emit a sewage stench after running for over 10 minutes. The already hideous floor was patched in one corner, revealing raw, unglazed concrete.
The entire complex reflected a mismanaged, neglectful sense of abandonment. The roofs of the guestroom buildings were drizzled with black soot. The paint on the exterior walls was being eaten away,the tiles around the pool and sea areas were scuffed, stained, and cracked in parts.
As for the buffet, there appeared to be only a few appealing options, however, after observing how the chef at the meat station was digging his tongs into a bowl of raw meat and using this same pair to place cooked meat on the guests? plates, all food options lost their appeal. One would wonder if the Sosua Bay Resort has ever heard the word ?hygiene? before.
This Resort has an excellent location and setting and has clearly benefited from an architect with an artistic eye and interest in quality, but it has been destroyed by mismanagement. The property is run-down and understaffed. Their standards for maintenance, cleaning, and customer service and sub-par. I only stayed one night at a discounted rate and still felt I was ripped off. I was only relieved to not have booked for longer. Other guests were not so fortunate.

Stayed January 2012, traveled as a couple

Victorian House Boutique Hotel (Sosua, Dominican Republic) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor
 

Viajero

Bronze
Dec 16, 2011
1,593
1
36
Looks like it's going downhill:
Thanks. It sounds a lot like Sosua Bay. The location of this place is too idea for it to totally be wasted. I would not be surprised to see this place convert to more of a single male traveler venue, if it hasn't already. Unless, of course, if Sosua does actually transform itself into a less sex tourist oriented destination.
 
May 29, 2006
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I blame much of the condition of the hotels on non-resident ownership. The local management is given a tight budget and scheduled maintenance ends up being put on the back burner. It's esp true once a decision to sell a hotel is made because they don't want to spend money if they aren't expecting to get it back.

In general, I've found the smaller hotels are kept in much better condition.
 

La Profe_1

Moderator: Daily Headline News, Travel & Tourism
Oct 15, 2003
2,302
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That TripAdvisor review is clearly biased. I have no real interest in the tourists who visit Sos?a, but I have lived in Puerto Plata since 2001 and I remember going to Sos?a for the beach with various visitors early in my time here. The Victorian House/Sos?a Bay complex was under construction then. The review says

As for the room, the scuffed and scratched tile floor from the 1970s was dusty and peppered with beach sand.

How can the floor be from 1970s when I clearly remember that the hotel was under construction sometime after 2001?

If one item is false, that causes the entire review to lose credibility.
 

frank12

Gold
Sep 6, 2011
11,847
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That TripAdvisor review is clearly biased. I have no real interest in the tourists who visit Sos?a, but I have lived in Puerto Plata since 2001 and I remember going to Sos?a for the beach with various visitors early in my time here. The Victorian House/Sos?a Bay complex was under construction then. The review says



How can the floor be from 1970s when I clearly remember that the hotel was under construction sometime after 2001?

If one item is false, that causes the entire review to lose credibility.

Isn't it possible that the design of the floor/tile, and the pattern of the tile reminded him or her of a 70's design or pattern? I wouldn't ignore a whole review simply because they made a comparison/contrast of a design that reminded them of something from the 70's.

Personally, i thought the review was extremely thorough, well detailed, and precise. But i also thought they were a little too picky in areas that didn't warrant it...like being upset about the chef using the tongs on both raw meat and cooked meat. I understand this is a no-no in the West, but for me, it's not a big deal.

I would never disregard a "whole review" just because i took issue with one detail out of many.

Frank
 

Lobo Tropical

Silver
Aug 21, 2010
3,515
521
113
Anyone have any updated information on this place? Someone said there was a pool party there the other day. I thought it was a family-oriented venue, but maybe that has changed? Any reviews?

I looked at rooms in Victorian House/ Sosua Bay, the properties are dated.
It costs a lot of money to maintain and upgrade these older properties.
Without a steady stream of income from high occupancy rates, there is not much hope.
I agree with Peter they are going downhill, sad for a great location and view.
 

boknows

New member
Oct 15, 2012
360
0
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Is the hotel near Lobster House still alive? Last time I stayed there they were building ocean world and the view was great even though there was construction.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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i looked at the pictures and i understand the note about 70's floor. it is lined with those small square cement tiles that look quite old and dated.