Hiltons

[bwemily]

There are four Hilton in DR, I am planning on goin to DR in September. Which would be the best and how is the weather in DR in September, raining much? Is one side of DR better than another and any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated as I will only be there for 6 days and 5 nights but I have my choice as what Hilton I will stay at, but I would also like to know what activities you would recommend to do in such a short trip.

Here are the choices
1. Hamaca Coral, Boca Chica
2. Canoe Coral, LaRomana
3. Marien Cora, Puerto Plata
4. Costa Caribe, San Pedro de Macoris

I know the Hiltons are all-inclusive, but if there are some to die for resteraunts I will go no questions asked, please tell me that if you know of something near the Hilton you recommend.

If September is a terribly rainy time of year would a month or two later make a difference? (My preference is to go in early to mid September if possible)

 

[URock]

Only been to one............

I can only comment on the Coral Marien in POP. Pretty good spot. Food is not much different than in most AI resorts. The pool area was great. It's huge. Beach......not so great. One good thing, for me anyway, was the closeness to the Brugal rum factory. Went on a tour with my buddy and walked out with 17 bottles. Cheap, if you like rum.


There is the usual assortment of excursions, but as most on this board will tell you......... don't spend all your time at the resort and tourist related spots. Get out amoungst the people. They are what really make the trip that much better.

 

[bwemily]

Thank you for the infomation. I would also like to know which of the Hilton's is closest to "Adventure" type activities, are there great hiking spots and exploration type things to do as that is something I really like. I do love the beach, snorkling, and scuba diving also but, I would like to do those things and some more. I don't want to be too crouded on the beach, are the beaches open to the public (I would think yes, please confirm) and which resort is in the most populated area and which is in the least as I think that might be a nice change.

I have been to Jamiaca several time, Aruba, St. Lucia, and my husband has been to all of those plus Dominica, Barbados, Camen, Puerto Rico, and some others, so I am trying to get a feel for the lay of the land.

 

[hooptie2]

we have been to 2 of the coral by hilton resorts. currently we are diehard marien clients-since they opened. been there 3 times just this year! prior to the hilton being part of the coral hotels we stayed at the costa caribe several times. the marien is the newest hotel. the caribe has been around awhile. the beach at the marien is clean and groomed daily but is not the nicest beach i've seen. if you are a "beach person" you may like the caribbean side of the island better. the sand is white and the water is aqua colored and really clear. that side of the island seems more "flat" to me. the marien side-puerto plata-has a wonderful mountain and the city of puerto plata is wonderful. several good, inexpensive restaurants there also. hope this was some help. debbie's dominican is a great site for dr information. good luck.

 

[bwemily]

Wonderful information I will have to check Debbie's site out. I would rather have the mountains than the flatness. I went to Aruba (unfortunately twice) and was so disappointed that there was hardly anything green and really not much to do other than the beach, golf, I did do a wreck dive that was nice and one of my travel partners enjoyed the wind surfing, but I was also so sad that there where no native resteraunts (McD, BK, Pizza Hutt, etc, I felt like I was in Detroit or the like, LOL)

What do you think of the local cuisine in DR and what are some of your favorite spots around Marien?

 

[NALs]

that side of the island seems more "flat" to me.

No, you are not seeing things. The southeastern part of the island is flat like Florida until you hit the most northern point of the eastern peninsula where some hills pop-up. The rest of the mountains is a wonderful conction of lush mountains and cultivated valleys.

 

[Dolores1]

Responding to the original poster's questions:

For weather reports, best to check out the Weather & Beyond section of the DR1 Forums. Read through the threads (see weather and hurricanes stickies) and you will get a pretty good idea of weather in the DR and the Caribbean in general.

Costa Caribe, Canoa Coral, and Hamaca Coral stand the best chances for dry weather. Marien Coral is in Puerto Plata which keeps lush because it gets short showers all year long.

If you are into local culture and local food all these are good choices as they are near local populations. Just head into the nearby towns -- La Romana, Puerto Plata, San Pedro de Macoris (although Juan Dolio where the hotel is has great restaurants), Boca Chica.
Of the four, the Canoa Coral is the only one that is quite isolated, being in a hotel area, but you can always grab a cab into La Romana town, about 20 minutes away. The hotel will also have Dominican nights where you can taste Dominican food. Canoa Coral also has the best beach of the four.

For more information on these hotels, see
http://www.dr1.com/directories/hotels/coral_canoa.shtml
http://dr1.com/directories/hotels/coral_marien.shtml
http://dr1.com/directories/hotels/coral_caribe.shtml
http://dr1.com/directories/hotels/coral_hamaca.shtml

I would say both the Canoa Coral and the Marien put you closest to adventure style excursions.

 

[hooptie2]

POP places to eat

What do you think of the local cuisine in DR and what are some of your favorite spots around Marien?[/QUOTE]

So far our favorite spot when we go to the Marien is an Italian Rest. in POP called The Porta Fino. Their italian food is very good and very resonably priced. There are several places in the heart of POP along the Malecon. Tried a new place the last time-can't remember the name but the gentleman who owned it was swiss and his wife dominican-help me out here BushBaby-we went with you. Lord the mind is a terrible thing to waste! Oh well, the food there was very good also. I've always enjoyed the food at the Marien and everytime we've been there they've done a "dominican" nite. As mentioned before go to Debbie's Dominican you will find a lot of info there. Enjoy your trip.

 

[toby]

My family and I stayed at the Coral Marien and would highly recommend this location. But for hiking and adventure activities you may want to consider a hotel in the Sosua area. The scuba diving is far superior in this area and the town of Sosua has excellent shopping, lots of fun restaurants and access to your adventure activities. You can hike the mountian (POP) but there are many threads on this board that can advise you of your needs in regards to equipment/lenght of hike/costs etc. (Highest peak in the Carribean so it's a real challenge hike).
I choise the Coral Marien as it is a family oriented facility and had good access to Ocean World (Cofresi approx 30 minutes from hotel)for my daughter (you can swim with the dolphins) and was located half way between Sosua and Puerta Plata for tours etc. Our tour operator was pushing other locations and chains of hotels at the time of our booking but we were very glad to have stayed at Hilton's newest hotel in the DR.
I am planning my next trip (DEC 2004) and will most likely book in the Sosua area for the variety and shopping experience and of course the visit to Rocky's for "the best on the island" rib dinner.
Cheers Toby

 

[NALs]

You can hike the mountian (POP) but there are many threads on this board that can advise you of your needs in regards to equipment/lenght of hike/costs etc. (Highest peak in the Carribean so it's a real challenge hike).

Cheers Toby

Umm, you mean Pico Isabel de Torres? You know, that tall mountain visible from much of the north coast.

If that is the mountain you are talking about, let me correct you in the fact that that is not the tallest mountain in the Caribbean. That mountain behind Puerto Plata is just around 3,000 feet high. The tallest mountain in the Caribbean in further inland in the Central Mountain range, not the Northern Mountain range. The tallest mountain is called Pico Duarte and it rises to over 10,000 feet high. Big difference from Puerto Plata's mountains!

 

[toby]

Umm, you mean Pico Isabel de Torres? You know, that tall mountain visible from much of the north coast.

If that is the mountain you are talking about, let me correct you in the fact that that is not the tallest mountain in the Caribbean. That mountain behind Puerto Plata is just around 3,000 feet high. The tallest mountain in the Caribbean in further inland in the Central Mountain range, not the Northern Mountain range. The tallest mountain is called Pico Duarte and it rises to over 10,000 feet high. Big difference from Puerto Plata's mountains!

My apologizes as I did get this information incorrect. If possible can you advise as to hiking opportunities for information purposes for the original poster. Is Pico Isabel de Torres accessible for tourist hikers/costs/tours?
Thank you NALowhs for the correction and your information on hiking may be helpful to others.
Toby

 

[NALs]

My apologizes as I did get this information incorrect. If possible can you advise as to hiking opportunities for information purposes for the original poster. Is Pico Isabel de Torres accessible for tourist hikers/costs/tours?
Thank you NALowhs for the correction and your information on hiking may be helpful to others.
Toby

Pico Isabel de Torres is accessible for tourist wanting to hike it. I'll suggest for whom ever wants to do some eco-tourism type of things to go to the best tour company in the country called Iguana Mama in the town of Cabarete, near Puerto Plata. They do it all from White River Rafting, to mountain biking, horseback riding, tubing, kayaking, hiking, in short everything. However, I personally would only hike a mountain if that is the only way of getting to the summit. Why hike Pico Isabel de Torres when there is a Cable Car that goes up the mountain in 5 to 10 minutes? Its just a temptation. But other peaks (like Duarte which takes 3 days to hike, bring winter clothing since temps drop to below freezing beginning half way up the mountain) would have to be hiked.

Iguana Mama should have more detailed info on this. Don't worry about finding Iguana Mama, its in Cabarete and being a one road town, its quite easy to find it. If its not on one side of the road, its on the other side! Enjoy!!

 

[bwemily]

Awesome!

Wow, you guys are helping me quite a bit. So, if I understand this correctly Marien is between two cities and I can easily get to them with in 30 minutes, there are amble places to hike and explore. If this is true what is the distinction between the two cities and some of the highlights of each. If this is not a true statement then which of the Hiltons would that discription describe.

FYI, I have to stay at a hilton, do to it is part of the package my husband won in a golf tournament in Purto Rico last week and of all the islands he could choose to go to he has been wanting to visit the island for some time and this is a perfect opportunity for us to go. Now that being said I hope you understand why the subject line is Hilton not what town should I stay in. I am usually not a big fan of the all-inclusive as I am an explorer and try to explore, visit, taste, take in all I can of a place when I am visiting, so I am going to make the most of this and try to select which of the four Hiltons in DR will allow me access to get to some good locations easily.

 

[baileyboy]

been to two of the four Hiltons

I've been to the Coral Marien, three times, and I've been to the Hamaca. I much prefer the Marien.

I found the Hamaca too large. We were staying in the rooms acroos the street from the main lobby, and it was a 15 minute walk from our room to the beach. And when we got to the beach, it was a long walk to get a drink.

I find the Marien just the right size, and you walk to the beach to the pool, to the restaurants with ease, and you're not ready to have a nap when you get there!

Hamaca has a beautiful beach, but I found I couldn't get to know anyone b/c the place was just to big for my liking. I enjoy the Marien's smallness, which allows you to meet people and get to know them, as well as the staff.

Marien has Sosua and Cabarete, they are about a 30-40 minute drive to Sosua, and about and hour and a bit to Cabarete. They have wonderful beaches (great snorkling) and lots of "touristy" shopping. Good restaturants to eat, and good bar to grab a drink at, and relax. Cabarete has a great beach, and is one of the top 10 (kite) surfing beaches in the world, lots of things to do there.

 

[Hillbilly]

Being very partial, I would say Marien, hands down.

Jusst because you can visit Santiago, see the Centro Leon and the Tom?s Morel Folklore Museum, walk in the park, tour the cathedral, and be back in POP all in one day. Also you can take a whole bunch of cool day trips, like to the Damajagua Falls which will fill your memory banks to overflow.
Click in "damajagua falls" in the Search Function....

Have fun, "know you'll be back"

HB

 

[ustelephone]

Hilton on the Malecon

There is a Hilton Hotel that is scheduled to open this year on the Malecon. It is huge and looks incredible.

Does anyone know what the actual opening date is?

 

[NALs]

There is a Hilton Hotel that is scheduled to open this year on the Malecon. It is huge and looks incredible.

Does anyone know what the actual opening date is?

It's in September 2004. That's going to be one of the nicest business/vacation hotels in the DR, if not Caribbean. And given the fact that its connected to Malecon Center, guest at the Hilton Santo Domingo will be able to go shopping at the Malcon Center Shopping Mall and mingle with those high income residents living in the apartments and penthouses on the other three 20 story towers of the project. The Hilton Santo Domingo will also have a spa, Casino (yes, another one), a few restaurants and bars and a helicopter landing pad (talk about quality service, no more traffic for those willing to pay extra bucks from the Airport to the Hotel)!

There is also another hotel being built on the Malecon which its going to be like a Vegas style hotel. This one will rival the Jaragua for sure. I've seen the plans and it looks awesome on paper. So far, the construction looks great. I don't know what company will operate the hotel though.

I keep saying this, if the mayor of Santo Domingo would just invest in importing some white sand and create a nice wide and long beach along the malecon (maybe from the Obelisk stretching to the area where Congress meets), SDQ could become a mega destination. The city has everything, it has beauty, it has history, it has high class restaurants, it has a nightlife, it has nice sights, it has fabulous shopping, very nice excursions into mountains and sorrounding countryside are possible, and it has some of the most expressive people on earth. Add to that mix a beach, and watch the hotel room count increase like crazy!

 

[Bartolomeo67]

Hilton people told me last month the new hotel is to open in November 2004. Looks great indeed!
Bart

 

[bwemily]

Thank you - again

I am getting quite a taste for what there is to do and which Hilton will be the best for my husband and me. Thank you and keep the information and emails coming.