San Pedro de Macoris, Barcelo Talanquera Beach Resort

San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic is a fantastic resort, and the hotel is lovely. I plan to take my children there again when my baby son is old enough to fly that distance. The only problem with Talanquera is people expect too much because the word 'Caribbean' is used. If you want five star, pay for it. Don't complain when you book into a really good, well managed, absolute value for money three star hotel because the red carpet isn't rolled out for you, and don't look down your nose because you had to wait a few minutes for your keys! If you want, just ask. Talanquera is lovely, and the locals are such great fun, although Beware the shoeshine boys; they'll get ya for £10 a pop!!!!

First of all when we checked into Barcelo Talanquera Beach Resort they took about an hour to give us the key of the room, when we entered into the room it was not ready, because they left the bed sheets totally dirty and also didn't smell good. When it was time eat it wasn't any snacks, pizza, hamburger or anything you can eat, just a very bad drink they call banana mama. Before the lunch and before the dinner you have nothing to eat. We lasted two days without drinking water because of the water taste, it was awful. They don't have any water sport just futbolitos and billiards. Also they have a short variety of foods and it is the same for lunch than it is for dinner. There were too many flies any where around the foods and mosquitoes in the room. The pool was also dirty; it was not clear as I'm used to.

finally it is a very, very, very bad hotel. Please don't waste your money at this hotel. There are too many good options.

San Pedro de Macoris, Barcelo Talanquera Beach Resort - I love the Talanquera!!! Been twice now and intened to go again!! although there is not much nearby, if you are born with the gift of the gab you can join the nearby hotel discos which makes a nice change (found this out second time round). There is also the Chocolate bar 5 mins away which is great for sampling local atmospheres and to dance the merengue until you can barely stand (and you almost get forced into it), but I would advise you go after 12 because it is full of weirdos before then. If you give the locals a little bit of trust they aren't all that bad, but remain cautious. I am a young blonde and yeah they chased me but not once did I feel unconfortable. The room we were in was fine, no bug,s no smells and everything worked. It was clean and had little to look at out of the window, but nethertheless it was nice. I don't eat alot of food But there are 3 resturants -- there is the one that looks out onto the beach, it is a smaller version of the big buffet one, the Italian and the French. I liked the beach one because it had bbq'd food and nothing was riddled in sauce. As for the animation team, they all had me in stitches. They are friendly and polite and do their job well. I suggest if you want top entertainment to take a cruise!! Could you prance about from 0930 until 1200 in that heat with only 2hours worth of a break? The hotel is fab and if you you want fun in the sun, providing you're willing to let your hair down and join in, then it is a good holiday. Can I also take this opportunity to advise Crazy Horse for three hours, it's amazing and you get a really good insight to how Dominicans really live. The guys there look after you ,but remember to wear trousers and trainers to avoid discomfort. The reception staff are also very friendly and always happy to help!!! I found the beach really peaceful, but I tended to stay by the pool for a bit of excitement.

I agree with the lady that was at Barcelo Talanquera on 4th jan. The mandatory entertainment could be better i know they are not professionals but their routine leaves a lot to be desired. The complex is in the middle of nowhere so if you do not want to watch the entertianment you do not have much else to do.

The Italian Resturant was absolutely disgusting my husband and i were both ill after eating there.

The French resturant was lovely food but you had to pay for anything decent where as it was supposed to be all inclusive. The rooms needed a facelift. All in all the complex needs revitalising.

In a word the Barcelo Talanquera is NOISY. The brochure will tell you that 'there is plenty to do during the busy periods, but there is always a quiet spot to relax and unwind.' There are NO areas that you can find to escape from the incessant music and 'animation'.

There are apparently 435 rooms in this hotel. The chances of being allocated a room which has both a light airy view AND quiet are remote. From what we could gather, most of the rooms needed refurbishment. The 50 or so rooms situated on the beach side of the complex appear to be newer than the main building. Half of these face the sea and the other half face the road between the two parts of the complex. The ones facing the road have trees and shrubs surrounding them and never receive any sunlight, consequently they are damp and musty (high humidity). The other side of the building is more pleasant with sea views and sun. However, these also face onto the beach & games area, the 'enforced enjoyment' provided by the animation team starts between 0930 and 1000 with aerobics followed by volleyball, followed by more aerobics. All of which are accompanied by very loud 'music'. These activities go on for most of the day. If you feel that you can escape this by retreating to the other part of the resort where there are 3 swimming pools - think again! Here, they have pool aerobics and pool polo also accompanied by the ever-present muzak. When these activities do eventually stop, the music continues.

The other downside to the rooms on the beach is that they are adjacent to the disco, which is held every night from 2300 to 0200 hrs. Due to the 'excellent acoustics' of the buildings, this music is potentially 'piped' to every room. When the disco finishes you are serenading by slamming doors, singing guests or the melodious echoes of someone vomiting into the toilet above our room (506). But don't worry, if you're lucky you can get some sleep between 0400 and 0700 when people then start banging doors in their rush for breakfast.

The food was plentiful but repetitive. A lot of gastric problems which the local doctor insisted was due to the guests' food intolerances ! Warning: ensure that you wash your room glasses well in bottled water as the maids tend to rinse them under the tap! We tried the 'a la carte' Italian restaurant and wished we hadn't bothered. Fortunately, it didn't completely ruin our appetite and we were able to follow this by the usual buffet. The other 'gourmet' a la carte restaurant L'Ecrivisse, has a limited menu (for your all-inclusive deal), most of the items being charged as extra. We did not bother to try this restaurant in the end.

The transfer time is approx. 3 hours.

(2003)if your looking to get away, on a budget and your not looking for frills and to be pampered then Barcelo Talanquera is your place. Beautiful water and weather, i would go back for the price alone.