We stayed here for three nights during the week (not a weekend) this month and had a great experience. We virtually had the beach all to ourselves.

The rooms were comfortable and clean, the food was good, some of it excellent, the view wonderful, the service adequate, the sun and sea great. We had come here off of a very busy month and from here were heading into Santa Domingo for work. It was a great place to kick back, read a book, swim (which we did every morning and afternoon), enjoy the sand and sea, talk and rest.

If booking here you should know that you will get what yoy pay for. This is not a up scale resort. It is much more European in nature. The food is good, but it is sort of a mix of Italian (the owners) and Dominican, not American. The beach is great, but not the best on the Island, We found the swimming to be great for us.

Our room had a great view (see pictures). The bed was OK but not the greatest. The AC was cold, but we only used it one night because usually the sea breeze was cool enough. There is cable TV with a good assortment of English speaking programing, but much of it in Spanish. There is daily maid service with new towels every day.

The bar and restaurant area is really nice, though in the evening, since where you eat is open to the outside, there can be a lot of mosquitoes. Be sure to pack a lightweight long sleeved shirt and some long pants/slacks and bring repellent. There are no screens on your windows, so bugs in your room are a real possibility.

We rated this place very high because it met our expectations. This is exactly the kind of place we wanted. We have traveled around the world quite a bit and have stayed in a wide variety of places. If you are expecting a plush resort and stay here, you will be disappointed. We would definitely stay here again.

We spent 5 nights at the Playa Esmeralda this month, we had stayed there last Feb. and were looking for another inexpensive break. We had two rooms - one for two, at $70 per night all included, and one for one person, at $75 all included. Our rooms were as last y ear, but this time facing the pool on the first floor. The rooms are simple but clean., with two twin beds pushed together. The mosquitos are the onbly downside to the rooms. This place is Italian run, and as far as I can see, Europeans don;t understand window screens. The food is really good and fresh, not fancy, but lots of salad stuff and fruits. All three of us felt we had plenty of choices. Drinks are included, but this year the only beer was Brahma, and I prefer Presidente. Wait and bar staff are smiling, helpful. The animation staff was as animated as ever, and shows were presented on Sat and Wed nights. The beach - perfect. What more could you want?

We were at the beach and didn't feel like coming back to Santo Domingo, so we tried a couple places...SOme were super nice but expensive. Some were cheap but smelly...This one was just right.

Friendly Staff, Lousy Food, Incredible views...

We arrived and I thought we were in the wrong location, employee parking, as there were only 8 parking spots...But to my suprise, that was the main parking lot. I was happy there was a guard there who promised to watch our car.

OK...Ocean View room....Very nice views...Rocking AC...Hot Showers.... Very satisfied with room (but tiny TV, like a 13"er or so), but didn't come to watch TV, so OK.

Food: I wasn't all bad, just 85%... But exactly what I expected... After all, this place was cheap and not a major chain. The saving grace was the pasta bar.

Staff was excellent...Alway felt safe and really enjoyed the beach. It is right between some really nice beach houses and a public beach. I like the public beach because there is alot of flavor there. Lots of locals and you really get into the DR theme...You can't experience that in a fancy resort.

I have stayed at 30+ resorts and I usually expect what I pay for. This place was cheap $60 per person, so I didn't expect to much.

To sum it up, a really nice getaway for a short trip...Room and quaint location were spectacular, food would get really old after 2 days.

Oh, and no annoying time share sales people. A major plus!!!

I recently returned from a trip to the Dominican Republic with a large group doing some medical mission work. We capped off our trip with a weekend at the beach and had 8-9 rooms at Playa Esmeralda. Upon check in, there was some confusion due to the large amount of people, but not everyone was given word about being able to rent a safe in the room for $1/day. This will come into play later. Also, most of us were doubled up in rooms and each room only had one key and the beds were not split. Housekeeping came to the room within a 1/2 hour to split the beds, however, we were left only with a sheet on the bed which became quite chilly at night.

On our first night there, we all gathered for dinner and drinks. I give the buffet mixed reviews - some of the food was very good, but I ended up with more of an upset stomach here than I did when staying in the rural village the week prior. Bartenders were serving up drinks and some "dancers" came out to get everyone up and on their feet. They were fun, but a little persistent. And just when everything gets going, they shut the bar down at 10 or 11pm depending on the night! Seemed a little strange as it was spring break time and several guests were outside still having a good time.

The next day, I picked up towels at the front desk to enjoy breakfast and the beach. The beach is quite small, but nice. The water is beautiful. At this point two of our group members returned to their room to get their suits on and discovered that Ipods, cell phones and credit cards were all missing. They calmly informed the front desk who informed them that THEY should call the police. After some heated discussion, the front desk finally called the police....they took our friends to the station where they proceeded to write up a "report" in a Winnie the Pooh notebook. Sorry, sidenote. Anyway, we all understood that this can happen at any hotel, but the front desk was just about as unhelpful as possible during a stressful time. We also discovered that the theifs likely got into the room from the sliding door (they were on the first floor). Apparently our friends had never opened the door and assumed it was locked, but on checking it later, it was never locked and the lock was actually broken. I recommend not staying on the first floor. And there are security guards posted at all times on the beach entrance and main entrance, which unfortunately makes this look like an inside job.

On another note, please DO NOT get a massage. I saw that there was a "wellness center" offering massages for about $30. I was like, alright! I had to pay up front which I was wary off and then go up to the center to schedule. When the masseuse arrived late, 2 of my other group members were already waiting to get started. She insisted that we did not need to formerly schedule a time, and that I should just show up later. We basically made her write down times so that some other person didn't walk up later and get a massage. When I arrived 2 hours later, my friend was just finishing up and the masseuse told me to just sit down while her massage was being finished. There was a barrier blocking the windows (we were on the 2nd floor overlooking the beach/pool), but absolutely anyone could walk up at any point and see what was going on. I turned my body so my friend could have some privacy while she dressed. Then it was my turn - no hand washing or changing of sheets on the table. I won't get into specifics about the massage, but it was the weirdest, most uncomfortable experience of my life. From the masseuse's friend sitting on the couch in full view having a conversation with her for part of it, to her mounting me (yes, she actually got up on the table), to the total lack of privacy (she made me turn over and too my swimsuit top away from me and made me lay there topless - again, anyone could have walked up at any moment), to the weird singing/talking to herself...It was almost humorous. Guess you get what you pay for.

Another note - bugs were all over our hotel room. Guess it's to be expected. Overall, not a terrible place, but just be careful. If you're looking to just relax on the beach, this place would be fine, but they will not go above and beyond for you AT ALL.