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| Accommodation | 8.3/10   |
|---|---|
| Customer Service | 9.2/10 |
| Resort | 9.5/10 |
| Food | 8.4/10 |
| Location | 9.4/10 |
| Value for Money | 8.4/10 |
| Reviewer Rating | 8.5/10 |
| Overall Rating | 8.2/10 |
Full review by
Lorien
on 21st Aug 2008
User Rating : 9
Respect :
0
Good Points: The resort is amazing, it's clean, beautiful and has lots of communal area's large swimming pools and also some more private areas around the cliff side jacuzzis as well as two private golden sandy beaches one with sports and one without. The entertainment in the amphitheatre is top notch, very professionally put together as is the daily games around the main swimming pool, normally held around 11am and 3pm the staff are friendly and all make you feel very welcome and the excursions are fantastic especially ocean world and the mega trucks.
Bad Points: The food is very varied and they have a different theme every night in the buffet restaurant as well as the three specialised restaurants on site (Mexican, Seafood and Italian). The Mexican restaurant food is not very good in my opinion and neither was the sea food, it was all either bland or salty. I definitely missed home cooking some nights.
General comments: We had a fantastic holiday overall at the Casa Marina Reef Hotel and weren't bored for a minute, the daily games around the main swimming pool are very professional, normally held around 11am and 3pm the staff are friendly and all make you feel very welcome and the excursions are fantastic especially ocean world and the mega trucks.
We ventured out of the complex a few times but ensured we listened to our rep when they told us the places we shouldn't go. The shop keepers and stall owners all bugged us a lot to check out their stores which mostly had the same stuff so once you've seen one you've pretty much seen them all. We took our life into our own hands when crossing the main road to get to the supermarket in Sosua coz of some of the crazy motorbike drivers but I would definitely recommend it as the prices there are so much cheaper than the hotel shop which you cant barter in. Any stall you visit anywhere always barter down to at least a third of the price they first offer you as they are always hiking up the prices for tourists a lot and expect you to barter. The Dominican people are very cheeky and love to have a laugh with you, they know every trick in the book to engage you in conversation but they were always friendly even if you politely tell them you are not interested. Definitely check out some of the excursions, the mega trucks is a must do you get to see so much of the culture the beautiful land taste the local drinks, cigars, coffee and cocoa, ride horses and visit a typical Dominican house and school as well as a deserted untouched paradise beach and the land that Jurassic park was filmed in, getting all the more drunk with the free bar on board as you go. Ocean World is just fantastic, we swum with sharks dolphins sting rays and played with sea lions, it was incredible. We also went up the mountain on a cable car and visited a rum factory and an amber factory. The mountain was breathtaking it had a replica of the statue of Jesus in Rio that was donated to the Dominicans by Brazil, it was really big and the views were awesome. Overall it was a phenomenal success and we were very happy we went.
Lorien's review and ratings | 557 words
Review by
Guest.
on 2nd Jul 2008
User Rating : 4
Respect :
0
Nice clean rooms good maid service. The staff are very welcoming, there is plenty of entertainment for adults through the day, however there isnt much for the kids to do. We did go out of the complex a lot to and felt very safe.
A must is ocean world where we did the dolphin and sea lion encounters a must on your stay, also we did monster trucks that was great fun just remember to take some pencils for the children in the villages (there faces light up when they see them) I would recomend that y ...
Guest.'s full review | 219 words
Review by
Guest.
on 28th Jun 2008
User Rating : 8
Respect :
0
Whole place was fantastic. Great being out and about as long as you can say "No thank you". You ladies can give the look it works! Do not go with anyone outside the park but have fun and don't be scared! We love this place. Booking to go again now!
Guest.'s full review | 68 words
Review by
Guest.
on 6th Jun 2008
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
Arrival: Got to Casa Marina Reef Hotel earlier than expected because it only took 20 mins from the airport, when got there was handed a welcome drink and suitcases taken to our room. By the way none of the staff ever ask for tips only if you go on an excursion they ask for tips for the driver but you can give the staff at the hotel tips if you want to they are very grateful if you do.
Beaches: they are great but spent most of my time when on the beach on the reef side as it was not as packed as ...
Guest.'s full review | 177 words
Review by
miamoo29
on 23rd May 2008
User Rating : 8
Respect :
0
Recommend for any age - plenty to do, food is good - even cater for us English with the odd chip etc, stayed in October 2007 and definitely going back again. Would also recommend the trip to Swim with Dolphins - out of this world!
miamoo29's full review | 59 words
Review by
kristieannriley
on 22nd May 2008
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
I love Casa Marina Reef this was the 2nd year I've been and I'm hoping to come many more times. I thought the entertainment was absolutely brilliant. There was no bad points
kristieannriley's full review | 32 words
Review by
michelle cooper
on 10th May 2008
User Rating : 8
Respect :
0
Me my partner and my daughter all went to this complex in June 2007 and we loved it my daughter especially made loads of friends and loved the scuba diving the teacher was so nice. When we first arrived we thought it didn't look to great but when we got inside we where pleased it also has a nice pool area we where right next to the pool it was great. They do a fantastic sunset boat trip from this hotel which is very cheap I recommend that anyone staying here should do the boat trip rum and crisp ...
michelle cooper's full review | 204 words
Review by
kellyl
on 16th Apr 2008
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
Me and my friend have stayed at the Casa Marina beach 4 times and are booked to go again. We love the area, its safe for us to go to the local clubs though it can be daunting when coming home at night but its worth paying for a motorcycle the short distance. The hotel is nice the food good and the staff are friendly and they recognise you. The entertainment is good though sometimes when the dancers have a night off it can be boring!
Overall there is something for all ages to do during the day. ...
kellyl's full review | 108 words
Review by
Guest.
on 11th Mar 2008
User Rating : 9
Respect :
0
Good points, complex, food, service. staff. Bad point Now and then the electrics went of. Anyone who says Casa Marina is not good needs their head testing, or maybe they just haven't got that flexible sociable attitude. As some-one said previously a holiday is what you also make of it yourself. I went to Casa Marina in 2006 and thought it was fantastic, ie the food/staff.hotel. P.S. I am english!
Guest.'s full review | 72 words
Review by
Guest.
on 8th Jan 2008
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
A fantastic hotel with good entertainment,good food,good staff,clean,safe,a must holiday and you can get great deals with thomson,airtours and thomas cook as all these go to this hotel its very popular.
Guest.'s full review | 104 words
Review by
MangoManda
on 9th Feb 2007
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
We stayed at the Casa Marina Reef in January 2007 and after a couple of hiccups had a fantastic time!
We booked through an internet travel company and flew from Manchester with Thompson. The flight facilities were not as good as expected for a long haul flight i.e. no individual TVs.
There were 6 of us altogether, including 3 couples, with ages from 24-44.
When we arrived at Puerto Plata Airport we were met by the VIP rep team and some locals tried to help us with our bags, expecting a ...
MangoManda's full review | 1122 words
Review by
Kateyk13
on 31st Dec 2006
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
Overall we had a fantastic two weeks. It was our first trip to the Dominican Republic and I think Casa Marina Reef, Sosua, is a good base to explore the rest of the island. Although we were told to be wary if leaving our hotel, we went out on various occasions and had no trouble. The locals are friendly and there are some good bargains to be had especially at the Sosua Beach Market, which is approximately 5-10 minutes walk through the town. We also took an organised coach trip to ocean world, wh ...
Kateyk13's full review | 148 words
Review by
jammiedodger
expert review 
on 10th Nov 2006
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
My boyfriend and I stayed at this resort for 10 nights from 27/10/06 and had a great time.
The rooms (not that you spend much time there) are basic but clean. There is a safe you can hire (cost us in the region of $30 for 10 days). Shower is powerful and hot. We saw two cockroaches during our stay, one on the balcony and one in the corridor, but they were dying/dead. The lighting isn't great, but if you take the lampshades off it does improve.
The staff at the Casa Marina Reef Hotel ...
jammiedodger's full review | 1114 words
Review by
kirstij
on 24th Sep 2006
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
I stayed in Casa Marina Reef from 29th august for two weeks and loved every minute of it!
Kiko's team are funny and really friendly. The shows at night were amazing!!
The pools are cleaned every morning and there are games to play in and around the pool all day, also some games on the beach!
My room was always keept clean and beds made everyday.
The hotel is a 3 star but to me it was more like a 5 star!!
Also you might hear people say that its not safe outside the hotel DON'T LISTEN TO ...
kirstij's full review | 128 words
Review by
SWATFIRE
on 3rd Apr 2006
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
The Casa Marina Reef Hotel in the Dominican Republic is a fantastic place! The staff and food were awesome!
We went from the 14th to the 28th of September 2005, and I proposed to my Fiance while we were out there. We are going there again on the 13th September 2006 for our honeymoon.
SWATFIRE's full review | 54 words
Review by
carol gayle
on 15th Jan 2006
User Rating : 8
Respect :
+1
It is up to you to make the most of your holiday. Casa Marina Reef Hotel was one of the best holidays I have had, daugher loved it. Booking to go again, first time I will have visited same place twice. New Year celebration was EXCELLENT, they went to town no expense speared.
carol gayle's full review | 223 words
Review by
sueb
on 14th Nov 2004
User Rating : 2
Respect :
-1
The room at Casa Marina Reef Hotel was run down, smelt like mold and mildew, the view was of a fence and a generator. The food was not good. Cheap ham, cheese, and mystery meat. The staff could not speak English at the front desk. They played loud music all day around the pool deck. Nowhere or time of day to relax quietly or read by the pool.
sueb's full review | 73 words | 1 comment added.
Review by
lorakinz
on 3rd Jun 2004
User Rating : 10
Respect :
+2
Puerto Plata, Casa Marina Reef Hotel - It was the best holiday I ever went on! I met so many people and made very good friends. All the animators where so helpful and kind people that worked there talked to you. I met some very special people out there and am still in contact. I am so glad I went and will definitely be going again in the future with my friends.
lorakinz's full review | 87 words
Review by
carrot
on 10th Mar 2004
User Rating : 10
Respect :
+3
My husband and I went to Casa Marina Reef Hotel last July for our honeymoon it was great the weather was hot the food was good the staff were all excellent. We even left our unused toiletries to the staff knowing that it was expensive out there for them to buy them. They had a good variety of trips to go on, wherever you went every thing was always clean. All in all we would give it 10 out of 10 and we are looking forward to going back out there soon.
from Rachel in Essex
carrot's full review | 122 words
Review by
Lipnicki
on 22nd Feb 2004
User Rating : 8
Respect :
+1
I stayed at Casa Marina Reef Hotel back in Feb.'00 and had a great time. It is only a 3 star hotel, and you get what you pay for. Yes the power flickers, you can't drink the water, and you will see the odd cockroach, (I only saw one, and it was dead) but this is THE CARIBBEAN! It is a poor country. I am in Canada where the way of life is pretty luxurious compared to what is in D.R. I guess it all depends on what kind of traveller you are. I can sleep anywhere, and as long as I have a bathroom ...
Lipnicki's full review | 175 words
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