The stretch of 30 de Mayo, beginning with "Queen" and ending before the bridge to the toll plaza, always reminds me of a budget Las Vegas strip.
Never been in any of them, but if I had a dollar for every time I've passed them.........
We checked each and every one out before choosing the one we did as our "home" in the Capital. Some are mega nice, others kinda blah.
All have similar qualities that must be altered for a more pleasant stay:
- Sheet (not sheets): paper-thin, no top sheet and who knows who's used them? I once saw one with a CCCCCCCCCCC monogram :cheeky: . We now bring our own thick king sheets we put on top of their sheet to prevent contact with the mattress. AND we bring a cotton blanket for the top.
- Pillows: they have a bunch, but might as well be concrete blocks. So we bring our own and pillow cases. Much better.
- Towels: like #10 sandpaper. Bring your own. We bring extra large towels.
- Showerhead: Seems folks steal everything they can and a showerhead is on top of the list. Taking a shower under a tube of water is sub-optimal. So bring your own.
- AC: Man, those places can get cold because there is no thermostat, only an off-on switch. So I bring a stout piece of signboard, and place it to cover 65-70% of the air entry duct to slow the amount of cold air considerably. Works, and doesn't cause the evaporator to ice up raises room temperature to above refrigerator levels.
- Extention and gang cord: cabanas have few electrical outlets and we want to charge cell phones, Kindles, a laptop and a coffee maker. And often the plug is in a weird location and only ONE of the two plugs may work. So we bring an extension cord and plug a gang plug into it. Charges everything.
- Coffee maker: Gotta have morning coffee, so we bring a small 4-cup maker with a box of coffee packets, mugs, creamers, sweetener and bottled water. We have the coffee makers for our tours, but they can be bought inexpensively.
We put those items in a large zippered duffle bag (RD$300 @ La Sirena) with handles that's always ready when we need to go in a hurry.
We also bring a small folding table for some horizontal space for coffee maker, phones, etc., because cabanas don't have much beyond a coffee table, and it's often far from a plug. Easy to put in the back of the SUV along with the cabana bag.
Cabanas don't have closets or a place to hang up clothes beyond a doorknob. So I crafted a sort of hangar hook from a stout clothes hanger with curves in opposing directions. I hang this on the AC outlet---fits firmly---and can hang clothes on the other hook.
We stay in one of the few cabanas who serve "breakfast" as an added feature. While not exactly the breakfast buffet at the Gran Almirante, papas pure with a slice of yellow cheese, a fried egg, a piece of fried cheese and maybe a small glass of OJ works. And often they bring it at the time you requested when you checked in. But maybe not. Once ordered delivery at 8am, and got "the knock" at 6:30am. Grumble. Oh, well...
Most have hot water from a solar heater. Just be aware if you use a lot of hot water at night, you may have a cold shower in the morning.
Also, and this may be just the cabana we stay in. If you check in before 9pm, they charge two four-hour rates for overnight, a total of RD$2000. If you check in after 9pm, the flat rate is $1200. So we make it a point to check in after 9pm and save some decent $$$. Seriously: US$26 for a good, clean, secure hotel room with no lobby hassle or check-in, good security and a simple breakfast room service style? Hard to beat when you plan ahead.
