I stayed in that hotel with a friend during my Dominican Republic trip, in which I traveled from Santo Domingo through Puerto Plata to Samana.
Reasonable price and good quality. The owner is Italian, you have to bargain with him to get a good price. Nice location that is not so far from the centre of the city (approx. 7 minutes walk along the beach). It is not located directly on the beach, but it is 1 minutes walk, and the hotel has a small bar on the beach with some beach chairs. The beach is quite decent, it was not crowded in our presence. No huge waves.
The rooms were not great, but there is a safe, a table with chairs, one big wardrobe, and off course a nice balcony, where you can drink rum and smoke cigars :)

My girlfriend and I stayed at Kari Beach for the past week, largely based upon reviews I read here. We were looking for an inexpensive yet comfortable option and Kari Beach certainly provided that.

As previous reviews have stated, owner Antonio is a pleasure to work with and a total character. His partner, Dary, is also exceptionally helpful and kind.

The rooms are comfortable and you're right across a (surprisingly busy) dirt road from the beach.

The main negatives were that trash washes up on the beach in front of the hotel whenever it rains (washing down a stream from Las Terrenas). Most other hotels seemed to clean it first thing in the morning, Kari Beach did not. For that reason, we usually walked 10-15 minutes down the beach. The tiki hut bar/grill was also almost always closed. Lastly, as mentioned by another reviewer, it can take a long time for the water to get hot -- like 5 minutes or more.

With that said, you get a great value for your money. Go for it!

Like Gordon Gekko said in the film "Wall Street",'It's all about bucks kid, and the rest is just conversation.' The same is true with hotels. Pay $300/night and you'll have very high expectations, which if unmet, will leave you sorely disappointed. Pay $50/night and you hope for the best, happy with basic comfort and thrilled by unexpected amenities. The Kari Beach Hotel, at $50/night (during high season, no less!) including a big lovely breakfast is definitely a great bargain.

The location is perfect, right on the beach, close enough to town to walk there, yet far enough away to be tranquil.

The rooms are spacious and comfortable, with powerful ceiling fans (we paid $10 extra for one of the three rooms with AC and ended up never needing it). Our terrace overlooked the beach. The bathrooms are fine, it takes a little while for the water to get hot, but who cares!, you're on vacation, relax and go with the flow of this very laid-back country.

The staff is very friendly, including Antonio, the owner. Our waiter at breakfast every morning, Junior, was very friendly and accommodating. Having a tendency towards irregularity when traveling, I requested a large plate of fruit with breakfast, which he did without hesitation. A few times, he also gave us a glass of fresh pineapple juice which he squeezed himself (try it and you'll never drink Del Monte again!).

My wife and I plan to go back as soon as possible!

My friend and I stayed here in early December and had the best vacation experience of our lives. Antonio was a wonderful host, extremely helpful, available, and welcoming. He set us up with a great taxi man to take us to and from the airport, arranged our excursions, introduced us to a reliable local motoconcho driver, AND makes great pizza! Rooms are basic but clean, beds were very comfortable and all the rooms have wonderful terraces with ocean views. The free breakfast cannot be beat - scrambled eggs, toast, fruit, juice, and the best coffee. We're already planning our next visit in 3 months!