I stayed at this resort for only one night. It was a short getaway from the city. I went with my dominican boyfriend, so we may have been treated better because we both spoke Spanish fluently and know the culture very well. We arrived at around 3:00, which is the posted check-in time, but the room was not ready. We asked if there was food we could eat while waiting on the room since we had not eaten lunch. They said that lunch was over and all of the food had been taken away. My boyfriend asked if there was anything left, and would it be possible for us to eat. They were so nice. They sat us in the restaurant and brought us soup (sancocho) and rice. Then they cooked fresh fish for us, and finally brought out dessert. It was very tasty. Actually, the best sancocho I have had. Sancocho is the national dish of the Dominican Republic. Then we walked down to the beach, which was a little crowded. There were a couple of lounge chairs available, but we went for a walk instead. It is a private beach just for the hotel, and there is a guard on duty at night on the beach. There may have been one during the day, but I did not notice. When we went back to the front desk, our room was ready. The room was nice enough. Everything was clean. There were some problems, but nothing that surprised me being in a third world country. For example, the closet doors did not work, they were off the hinges. In the shower, there was a plastic water bottle over the shower head to help direct the water toward you. The bathroom is very small, but everything worked. There was a mini refridgerator, but it was empty. All drinks had to be picked up from the bar by the pool. When we went to dinner, there was not a whole lot left. I recommend getting there early so the food has not been sitting out for a long time. What I ate was good. The place is very pretty. I would recommend it if you are on a budget ($60 per person/per night, all inclusive) and you don't mind some minor inconveniences.

We stayed at the Playa Esmeralda for four nights, with our 3 year old boy. We loved this place.
This is not a large-scale full-of-amenities place. Compared with the average hotel in the Dominican Republic, the place is small, and not crowded. It is placed on the beautiful beach of Guayacanes village. The beach is not particularly large, but since the hotel isn't either, you will share it with a limited number of people, so it never gets overcrowded. The sea is very beautiful: waves breaks on a reef which is at about 200 metres from the shore, so the water is always calm and transparent, which is great especially for childrens. The Guayacanes village is next to the hotel, and the local community attends the public section of the beach, which is confining. You can decide whether you prefer to stay at the hotel beach, of take a walk into the life and habits of the Guayacanes community, which is friendly, musical, but very poor. So at the Playa Esmeralda you don't have that feeling of abstraction from local reality you get in the larger resorts of the Dominican Republic.
Anyway, I would not suggest long stays at this hotel, unless you rent a car, that allows you to easily reach Boca Chica, Santo Domingo and Juan Dolio.
Critical aspects of the place: the food choice from the buffet could be more varied, and rooms (though large, with comfortable beds and efficient and silent air conditioning, plus a roof fan if you don't like ac) show their age. Staff speak very little english. To us, none of these seemed relevant, so we are pleased to give PE full marks, and, when back to the Dominican Republic, we would definetly stop there again.

My husband and I recently stayed at Playa Esmeralda, after a 7 day work team trip in San Pedro. Needless to say, after working in the hot sun all day, and staying in a less than desirable hotel in San Pedro, we were pleased with Playa Esmeralda. The hotel is small (only 44 rooms), so it is very quaint. The clientel consists of mostly Europeans (Italians and some Germans) and a few Americans. The room was descent, however the linens did smell musty to us. The A.C. worked fine and we welcomed it after a day in the sun. The pool is nice and certainly swimmable, but a tad on the small side. We definitely recommend the all inclusive package- 3 meals a day and all the drinks you want for less than $50 per person per day! It is so nice, not having to worry about getting food outside of the resort (esp. because you can get sick so easily...) The food is descent, but not great. There was fresh pasta every night and some soup and rice. Also, there was some fruit, which was nice. The breakfast was descent-croissants, pancakes, and sausage with wonderful Dominican coffee... We did get a little tired of it by the second day, but it certainly was fine.
The beach is nice and right outside your doorstep. We did some snorkeling, as there is some descent coral nearby. Make sure you wear some sort of water shoes though, as there are a lot of sea urchins (which really hurt if you step on them) in the water. There was volleyball on the beach (Fun!) and chairs for free to lounge in. Also, we appreciate that there was a security guard on duty at the beach at all times, so we felt safe. There were some vendors, as it is a public beach, but we weren't harrassed too much. A simple "No, Gracious" was enough to signify we weren't interested.
The people here speak very limited English, and we spoke very limited Spanish, but it wasn't much of a problem. All in all, for the money, this was a great place to stay and we really enjoyed our time at Playa Esmeralda.

I felt compelled to write this review after reading one of the previous posts. I travel to Juan Dolio on a regular basis, simply because I am a recreational traveller and have fallen in love with the south coast of this caribbean country.

Boy, after reading the last post, no wonder we are sometimes called "ugly Americans". Again and again, I read reviews by novice travellers who expect an American-type resort with American customs and standards...and then are so dissapointed when they don't find it. Sometimes, people are so interested in complaining about things, that they fail to see the natural beauty right in front of their eyes.

If you are a complainer, a whiner or somebody who lets every little detail bother them, don't come to Playa Esmeralda. If you are laid back, relaxed, love exploring the nearby towns and enjoy fitting into the local culture, then you will LOVE Esmeralda. I have been to Juan Dolio eight times and have stayed at Playa Esmeralda every single time---in fact, i won't stay anywhere else.

ROOMS: My room is always nice and comfy. As an experienced traveller, it suites my needs just fine. The only minor problem I have ever experienced was a broken air conditioner, and as soon as I notified the front desk, I was promptly whisked to another room with a working unit. The T.V. gets about 10 channels or so, all in spanish. It is a rather quiet clientelle, and there is no trouble with loud noises or anything of that nature at bedtime. Yes, most rooms feature two beds pushed together to make one big bed, but it really isn't a big deal. The beds themselves are soft and comfortable, however one of the beds always seems to be a bit firmer than the other. Always had hot water running in the shower and, of course, the maids freshen up the room daily.

FOOD: 3 meals a day, and they are plentiful and delicious. If you are somebody who needs snacks in between meals, (most Americans), then you may have to make a run to one of the local stores in the small fishing village. The hotel is impecably run by Italians, so it is only fitting that pasta is a central element of the meals. Every night features an outstanding pasta bar, with the type of pasta rotating every night (eg. spaghetti, linguine, penne etc.) That is in addition to the daily hot food buffet they serve which usually features pork, chicken or beef, potatoes, vegatable, soup, salad and deserts. I am an American with Italian heritage, so I typically stick to and enjoy the excellent pasta bar. The first time I went to the DR, I was deathly afraid of becoming sick from the food, but I have the utmost trust in the food prep and quality at Esmeralda. Out of the voluminous meals I have eaten there, I have NEVER been sick.

EXTRAS: Make sure you get out to the road, catch a bus and journey to one of the local towns. It is an unforgettable experience. The locals are the friendliest people i have ever met. Don't let anybody tell you that it is not safe, because that is so untrue. You are missing out if you don't journey out into the town. It is no more dangerous than the suburbs in the U.S.

Esmeralda is a friendly, fun and laid back place to visit that will put you at ease for sure! You will love it! And for the price, how can you go wrong? Hope this review helps you decide.