November 2007
Arrival - Weather reports all week had promised scattered thunder showers, but the sun was out in Puerto Plata when we touched down at about 1:30 PM. Luggage retrieval was swift, made even swifter by the absence of one of our bags. The luggage attendant looked down the chute, saw nothing and started filling out the lost baggage form. We asked him to at least go look for it, but he said that it was still on the plane and would go on to Punta Cana, then (maybe) it would come back by bus/taxi or whatever. Customs was easy ? that little form you fill out on the plane gets shredded on the spot. A short trip to the Viva Wyndham Tangerine by bus followed. Check-in was fast, but communication was difficult as only one check-in person spoke passable English. Our room was fine, but had a strange odour. When we opened the patio door, we found out why. A large pool of water sat just off the patio, stagnant, grey-green and smelly. A trip back to the check-in got us an immediate look at the suite just above, bigger, nicer, but still smelly. The attendant with us called back to check-in and then took us over to the other side of the resort and showed us a double room that was OK, but it meant that we gave up a suite to get away from the smell. It smells like sewage, no getting away from it. In 30 years of consulting, I have seen my share of sewers; I know the smell too well.
Rooms ? There are a range of rooms at the hotel, from small suites to hotel-like rooms with a bathroom. The suites have a small efficiency kitchen, while the rooms have a bar fridge. The furniture is plain, a little worn in spots. General cleanliness is good. We had a problem with the A/C and the TV remote; both were fixed immediately. The biggest threat was the bathroom drainage. Over the first few days, we noticed the water draining slower and slower from the sink, shower and toilet. I called the front desk and told them and they said it would be fixed. Next day, still not good and we told our room attendant who happened to be just outside. She yelled at some workmen who were fixing a light not far away. The problem was fixed within the hour. Her name was Andrea ? she?s a doll. As we talked with other guests, we found out that this is a general problem with ground floor rooms. This leads me to think that the drainage system is in trouble, as also evidenced by pools of stagnant water at several locations and the above-mentioned smell.
Restaurants ? There are three restaurants, La Bahia, La Vela and Viva Mexico. The first is a buffet-style and the others are reservation only. La Bahia had themes every day for the type of food served. I can only say that the food was adequate there ? presentation sometimes was a turn-off. The quality of the food in La Bahia varied day-to-day and an open mind is required; this isn?t Canada. I became ill the last day and I think it was a meat dish from La Bahia that caused the problem. Quantity was never a problem and the big eaters should be right at home. The staff was friendly, but communication was a problem.
La Vela is Italian-style and a day-before reservation was needed as they only seat about 24 people at three nightly seatings timed at 7, 8 and 9 PM. The service was very good. It was obvious that the wait staff had been well-trained in their craft. A drink of the day starts off each meal while guests examine the menu. The food was very good and consists of three courses; appetizer, entr?e and dessert. Try the pork cutlet ? very tasty indeed.
Viva Mexico is?.Mexican food! Well, less Mexican as far as spicy food was concerned, as we didn?t find a really ?hot? dish in the three nights we went there. That?s just fine with us. The same reservation system as above is in effect. Again, the service was superb, even with wait staff wearing enormous sombreros that threatened hair-dos and dishes alike. A sombrero and a tray with four entr?es need a lot of room! The food is great. The salad at the top of the menu, the one with the brandy dressing is really good.
Bars - Local beer is Presidente and it flows a flood morning until night. At the snack bar in La Vela, you can even pour your own. Nirvana on a stick ?my own personal beer tap. The vino blanco and vino rouge were just as plentiful, although not to my taste. Neither of us are rum drinkers and there was a lot of rum around.
Beach and Pools ? The beach is really good, especially when we were told that it wasn?t really there four years ago. It was pumped in from further out by huge siphons and it has stood up very well. The waves can be huge in the afternoon and some people got really thumped. There?s lots of trees, so you can stay out of the sun if that?s what you prefer. There are always several vendors on the beach, buyer beware ? just don?t pay too much and hike into Cabarete to check the prices so you can compare and play with the vendor?s heads a little. The pool was good; always clean and warm. Lots of lounges, there was never a time we couldn?t get one easily.
Cabarete ? Go to the beach, turn right and walk 15 minutes and duck through Jose O?Shay?s pub to the street. The street was under construction while we were there and was alternatively muddy or not there, depending what they were doing. Bedlam! Horns honking, scooters on the sidewalks, yelling, exhaust smoke ? not a pretty sight. It will be better later on. I heard that they are hoping to pave before the end of the year, but then this is the DR, so it might not be this year that they?re talking about. Places to go; the grocery store midtown, all prices good and marked on tags, the Liquidation store just west of there, up the steps to the 2nd floor, all prices marked, no bargaining. Jose O?Shay?s Irish pub across the street looks great, but we didn?t get there to stay; only used it to pass through from the beach to the street. Walk further up the beach and see some of the great hotels ? one to see for sure is the El Magnifico ? wow.
Grounds ? The resort grounds were beautiful and gardeners worked constantly keeping them that way.
Activities ? Something was going on all the time. Spanish, dance lessons, bocce ball, water balloon?something, not sure what it was, bingo and others. There is a gym, but not well-equipped.
Excursions ? We did a catamaran trip purchased outside the resort. It was not a success. I hummed the theme music from Gilligan?s Island most of the time. If you buy, stick to the resort; that way, if it doesn?t turn out OK, you have someone to yell at.
Weather ? What can I say? I checked every day for two weeks before we arrived and it looked like there was a lot of rain. It didn?t happen that way at all. We had rain most days, but usually late in the day or overnight. The last day there was spectacular ? just like that advertisements.
Conclusion ? It is a beautiful resort, no question about it. The majority of my points above are positive; however, the negatives are serious. We went to the Tangerine because of the great Travelzoo pricing. At the normal price, we would choose elsewhere. There are too many resorts offering the same or better accommodation.
I don?t know how the star system works. This resort has a 4-star rating and may be deserving on that particular scale. Personally, on my own scale, I would be more inclined to give it 3 to 3?, based on the buffet food quality variability, minimal room amenities, the outside sewage smell, standing pools of stagnant water on the lawns, plumbing system drainage problems, speed of problem fixing and the lack of English-speaking staff.
Arrival - Weather reports all week had promised scattered thunder showers, but the sun was out in Puerto Plata when we touched down at about 1:30 PM. Luggage retrieval was swift, made even swifter by the absence of one of our bags. The luggage attendant looked down the chute, saw nothing and started filling out the lost baggage form. We asked him to at least go look for it, but he said that it was still on the plane and would go on to Punta Cana, then (maybe) it would come back by bus/taxi or whatever. Customs was easy ? that little form you fill out on the plane gets shredded on the spot. A short trip to the Viva Wyndham Tangerine by bus followed. Check-in was fast, but communication was difficult as only one check-in person spoke passable English. Our room was fine, but had a strange odour. When we opened the patio door, we found out why. A large pool of water sat just off the patio, stagnant, grey-green and smelly. A trip back to the check-in got us an immediate look at the suite just above, bigger, nicer, but still smelly. The attendant with us called back to check-in and then took us over to the other side of the resort and showed us a double room that was OK, but it meant that we gave up a suite to get away from the smell. It smells like sewage, no getting away from it. In 30 years of consulting, I have seen my share of sewers; I know the smell too well.
Rooms ? There are a range of rooms at the hotel, from small suites to hotel-like rooms with a bathroom. The suites have a small efficiency kitchen, while the rooms have a bar fridge. The furniture is plain, a little worn in spots. General cleanliness is good. We had a problem with the A/C and the TV remote; both were fixed immediately. The biggest threat was the bathroom drainage. Over the first few days, we noticed the water draining slower and slower from the sink, shower and toilet. I called the front desk and told them and they said it would be fixed. Next day, still not good and we told our room attendant who happened to be just outside. She yelled at some workmen who were fixing a light not far away. The problem was fixed within the hour. Her name was Andrea ? she?s a doll. As we talked with other guests, we found out that this is a general problem with ground floor rooms. This leads me to think that the drainage system is in trouble, as also evidenced by pools of stagnant water at several locations and the above-mentioned smell.
Restaurants ? There are three restaurants, La Bahia, La Vela and Viva Mexico. The first is a buffet-style and the others are reservation only. La Bahia had themes every day for the type of food served. I can only say that the food was adequate there ? presentation sometimes was a turn-off. The quality of the food in La Bahia varied day-to-day and an open mind is required; this isn?t Canada. I became ill the last day and I think it was a meat dish from La Bahia that caused the problem. Quantity was never a problem and the big eaters should be right at home. The staff was friendly, but communication was a problem.
La Vela is Italian-style and a day-before reservation was needed as they only seat about 24 people at three nightly seatings timed at 7, 8 and 9 PM. The service was very good. It was obvious that the wait staff had been well-trained in their craft. A drink of the day starts off each meal while guests examine the menu. The food was very good and consists of three courses; appetizer, entr?e and dessert. Try the pork cutlet ? very tasty indeed.
Viva Mexico is?.Mexican food! Well, less Mexican as far as spicy food was concerned, as we didn?t find a really ?hot? dish in the three nights we went there. That?s just fine with us. The same reservation system as above is in effect. Again, the service was superb, even with wait staff wearing enormous sombreros that threatened hair-dos and dishes alike. A sombrero and a tray with four entr?es need a lot of room! The food is great. The salad at the top of the menu, the one with the brandy dressing is really good.
Bars - Local beer is Presidente and it flows a flood morning until night. At the snack bar in La Vela, you can even pour your own. Nirvana on a stick ?my own personal beer tap. The vino blanco and vino rouge were just as plentiful, although not to my taste. Neither of us are rum drinkers and there was a lot of rum around.
Beach and Pools ? The beach is really good, especially when we were told that it wasn?t really there four years ago. It was pumped in from further out by huge siphons and it has stood up very well. The waves can be huge in the afternoon and some people got really thumped. There?s lots of trees, so you can stay out of the sun if that?s what you prefer. There are always several vendors on the beach, buyer beware ? just don?t pay too much and hike into Cabarete to check the prices so you can compare and play with the vendor?s heads a little. The pool was good; always clean and warm. Lots of lounges, there was never a time we couldn?t get one easily.
Cabarete ? Go to the beach, turn right and walk 15 minutes and duck through Jose O?Shay?s pub to the street. The street was under construction while we were there and was alternatively muddy or not there, depending what they were doing. Bedlam! Horns honking, scooters on the sidewalks, yelling, exhaust smoke ? not a pretty sight. It will be better later on. I heard that they are hoping to pave before the end of the year, but then this is the DR, so it might not be this year that they?re talking about. Places to go; the grocery store midtown, all prices good and marked on tags, the Liquidation store just west of there, up the steps to the 2nd floor, all prices marked, no bargaining. Jose O?Shay?s Irish pub across the street looks great, but we didn?t get there to stay; only used it to pass through from the beach to the street. Walk further up the beach and see some of the great hotels ? one to see for sure is the El Magnifico ? wow.
Grounds ? The resort grounds were beautiful and gardeners worked constantly keeping them that way.
Activities ? Something was going on all the time. Spanish, dance lessons, bocce ball, water balloon?something, not sure what it was, bingo and others. There is a gym, but not well-equipped.
Excursions ? We did a catamaran trip purchased outside the resort. It was not a success. I hummed the theme music from Gilligan?s Island most of the time. If you buy, stick to the resort; that way, if it doesn?t turn out OK, you have someone to yell at.
Weather ? What can I say? I checked every day for two weeks before we arrived and it looked like there was a lot of rain. It didn?t happen that way at all. We had rain most days, but usually late in the day or overnight. The last day there was spectacular ? just like that advertisements.
Conclusion ? It is a beautiful resort, no question about it. The majority of my points above are positive; however, the negatives are serious. We went to the Tangerine because of the great Travelzoo pricing. At the normal price, we would choose elsewhere. There are too many resorts offering the same or better accommodation.
I don?t know how the star system works. This resort has a 4-star rating and may be deserving on that particular scale. Personally, on my own scale, I would be more inclined to give it 3 to 3?, based on the buffet food quality variability, minimal room amenities, the outside sewage smell, standing pools of stagnant water on the lawns, plumbing system drainage problems, speed of problem fixing and the lack of English-speaking staff.