The prices of items in the market place are not set(they will not tell you). Therefore you are able to bargain for less usually half of what is offered. Take a taxi to other sites if you do not know the city or the language. You do not have to rent a car The hotel is an excellent location, walk around and explore the history and enjoy the restaurants and stores.:)

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. We found the staff to be very helpful, especially Nurys, the day clerk, although we are both fluent in Spanish. English seemed to be in limited supply although I believe it was adequate enough if you don't speak Spanish. They didn't even charge me for some laundry they did for me.

They can arrange for a taxi to pick you up from the hotel. The driver, Selso, was professional and drove fairly cautiously. At $40 it isn't cheap and you could save $10 or so by getting a taxi yourself, but this way you know you are going to get there.

The rooms are decent, but avoid rooms ending in 5 as they have no exterior windows. The third or fourth floors are best as the reception desk is on the second floor. There are no rooms on the ground floor, only the restaurant. The fridges in each room are stocked with drinks and snacks, but at about twice the price you can get them for on the street.

We stayed in 402 and it was in good shape and clean, although the carpet could have used replacing. The wrap around balcony was great, with views of el Conde, the park, and both directions of Calle Arzobispo Mereno. 302 was also recommended and the balcony of 402 provides some shade.

Like most older hotels in developing nations, things are a bit run down, but overall the hotel was fine. No pool or elevator. Also, do to the location on a heavily trafficked part of el Conde, street noise can be a problem until midnight or so. Also, rooms 302 and 402 have a door joining them to rooms 301 and 401. These doors can let noise through, so if your neighbors are noisy you are going to hear it.

Wifi is accessible in all the common areas and in the restaurant outside, but could come and go in our room on the fourth floor.

The restaurant has tables right on El Conde, shaded by umbrellas and a massive tree on the corner of Parque Colon. It is THE place to be. While the other restaurants along el Conde were just about empty, the tables at El Conde were consistently filled, mostly by local Dominicans drinking coffee and expressos.

We ate there a couple of times. For the price the food was good, especially the sandwiches. Much cheaper here than in surrounding restaurants. Service was average to good. That was one of our favorite parts of the trip, sitting at a table on el Conde people watching with a cold drink.

There are nicer hotels, for sure, but they charge a lot more. The location here is absolutely fantastic, within easy walking distance of all the highlights and good restaurants. When we visit the Ciudad Colonial again we will definitely stay here.

We stayed in a nice corner suite with a balcony and a great view of city hall, the city, and the adjoining park. Even better views from the roof. There was plenty of space in the corner suite for our group to gather and relax. I then stayed solo two more days and moved into a cramped cheaper room with no view. The staff was friendly and helpful. Some staff speak English, I speak Spanish which is a help. Their cafe has good Dominican food. The problems were with trying to take a bath or shower. There were no tub plugs in either room so a towel over the tub drain was a solution. There were no mats or non-skid coatings in either slippery tub, and the cheaper room lacked a shower head on the pipe. If you want a good Colonial Zone location with a view at a relatively low price and can put up with poor bathing then this place is a consideration if you can get one of the large corner suites.

I spent 7 days in the hotel in May 2010. I really enjoyed it. nice and warm rooms and great location in the middle of the colonial zone. As an architect I really enjoyed walking in the old city most of the day and spending time in the restaurants around the hotel. if you like old nice architecture... this hotel provide u a great location