Puerto Plata, Sosua by the Sea Hotel

Stayed in both the Sosua by the Sea hotel and Victoria house. Both rooms had maintenance & plumbing problems such as no hot water, no water at all, Out of 5 drains not 1 closed. 1st day at Victoria house rm 1101 I wanted to rinse trunks, bathroom sink drain wouldn't close, went to kitchen, no water in hot, put in cold and got coffee pots of hot from bath, noticed large puddle water in front of sink. pulled drain plug water everywhere, maid actually slipped and fell. Misleading info on brochure like beachfront, windsurfing etc. Mandatory all inclusive that wasn't, restaurant surcharges, time limits etc. Finally 2 days before leaving both got ill enough to require med treatment along with at least 60 others in a 24 hr period.

The Sosua by the Sea hotel was a real surprise. I knew a bit about Caribbean hotels so I wasn't expecting much, but they really blew me away!

Where to start?

The staff really seemed to enjoy their work. Always smiling, I must have heard 'hola' or 'buenas diaz' a million times a day!

Gardens are beautiful. Location is amazing -- right on the water with a beach on either side.

Nice and quiet -- just what I needed. Ok, if you're there for more than a few days, you'll definitely want to go out and look around, but at least when you're by the pool no one bothers you and there's no annoyingly loud music like at some other resorts.

I'm already planning my next trip and trying to bring some of the girls from the office!