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 Casa Marina Reef - Sosua  Location: Beach front - Sosua - North Coast - 10 minutes from Puerto Plata International Airport and 25 minutes from Puerto Plata All-inclusive - 378 rooms Description from resort website: Located in the lively town of Sosua - 5 restaurants - 6 bars - Daily supervised kid’s activities program - 3 swimming pools and 2 children's pools - Casino 5 minutes away  ~ Reviews posted on this page — 36  Don't forget to send Debbie your review ~ Reader's Vacation Photos ~ 1 Save on All-Inclusive Caribbean Resorts with Travelocity Save on All-Inclusive Caribbean Resorts with Travelocity.ca |
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| Casa Marina Reef | Bill & Tracey ~ the UK |
Before we left we read a number of reviews for the hotel, both here and on another major review site for the Casa Marina Reef hotel and too be honest there were a lot of conflicting comments. The most important thing to remember is that what may be acceptable to one person may not be to another so you must make your own minds up and look at a number of review sites to get a fair view of the hotel.
I do not want to cover everything but I do feel that a few points do need to be made as they may be helpful to someone.
It is a long flight from the UK and very cramped on the plane, if you can afford to upgrade then I would do it as it will be money well spent and something I would have to consider IF I came here again.
I saw a lot of comments saying that this 3 star hotel should be a 4 but you do not have to have done much traveling to realise that it is a 3 star at best and in some areas only a 2!! The rooms are very basic indeed, we were lucky as we choose to upgrade our room (No 2558) and had a fantastic view of the sea and the grounds of the hotel between the accommodation and the Atlantic Ocean. However the room badly needed painting and the furniture was not that good at all and the bathroom door would not fully open but the worse part was the bathroom which to be honest you would not expect to see even in a 1 star hotel!! It’s basic, which is all I can really say and although not completely clean it was not too bad but the condition of the fittings etc was something else in my opinion. I have read a number of reviews that say that you don’t travel here for the rooms etc which in a way is true but coming this far and after paying decent money it should be a lot better than it is. This is not a back packing hostel and the hotel is run by a very large company, Amsha Marina (I think), who also run 4 other big resort hotels on the island and therefore the room standards should be a lot better. You pay western money to stay there and they pay poor country wages to employees, so that profit margin is lining someone’s pockets instead of being put back into the business to raise the room standards.
Just across the bay from the hotel is Puerto Plata airport and if you don’t like the noise of planes going over your head on a Caribbean holiday then stay in another hotel!!! Okay it’s not Heathrow/Gatwick but it can be very noisy and flights come in and out at all times and about 8 out of 10 flights that take off do come over the hotel with one flight going over at 4.30 am on one day!!! It might not bother you but I live near a regional airport in the UK and did not pay out to travel 9 hours on a plane for a relaxing holiday to have bigger planes making more noise going over my head!
The other draw back for me at this hotel is that it is in a local community and for some reason the hotel owners allow local businesses in to pester the guests. I do not mean the local stalls that come in twice a week in the evenings although you would be wise not to buy anything from them as they are very pricey indeed (unless you are not planning to leave the hotel of course) but I mean the time share idiots! They are a pain in the arse and even after a firm NO THANKYOU they will still try it on with you during your stay and for me this should not be allowed. There are other people too that walk around with clip boards selling tours etc and a few handing out flyers for certain services but I can get that walking down a high street let alone on a far away beach holiday.
The Dominicans also expect to be tipped all the time even when they do not carry out their basic jobs, which is a great shame and I know it is a relatively poor country but there is no excuse for being lazy. I did tip the maid every day but I lost count of the amount of times that the room was cleaned but they forgot to leave towels and on one occasion we had been out all day and they had forgotten to leave any toilet rolls!! The one thing that I was not happy about was that when they cleaned the balcony they then never secured the doors afterwards and given that so many people have things go missing you would have thought it was in the hotels interest to train them to lock the doors before they leave the room after cleaning them. We did pay the $15 a week for the room safe and you need to budget for this as it will give you peace of mind but make sure that you do indeed lock all your valuables in it even if you are only out of the room for a few minutes!
On the plus side the grounds are first class and they spend a lot of time on them with a small army of ground keepers (if only they spent a bit more on the rooms) on the job and the area between the hotel and the sea is just top class for me. Lots of little areas to catch the sun and for it to be very peaceful plus you have 3 Jacuzzi pools in the rocks which can be a bit noisy at times and then you have the main beach which you have to go down some steep steps to plus the smaller beach at the sister hotel next door to use.
The shop at reception is fine if you are not willing to leave the hotel during your stay but a 15 minute walk to the Supermacardo on the main Puerto Plata road is well worth the walk as it is up to 40% cheaper than the shop and they have a wide range of goods and some gifts for you to choose from. These shops only take Dominican pesos and it is worth taking some local currency with you as you will need it but all your big trips etc can be paid with US$ via your reps.
I have not really said much about the staff as they are no different to any other country, some will do anything for you and are very happy, some just do there jobs and will occasionally speak to you and then you have the miserable gits who don’t really want to be there, enough said!!
I know the above does not sound very good but they are points that I would have liked to have seen when reading reviews as they matter to me.
There is a lot more that could I could write about but basically if you are on a tight budget and have not been here before then it is worth staying at this hotel but if you have a bit more cash plus it’s your first holiday for a long time then look for a 4 star hotel where you should get the better all round standards to make it a really enjoyable holiday.
There were parts of the holiday that we really liked but if we were to come back to the DR we would not stay here again and we would save the extra cash for a better hotel as it is a long way to come.
Hope this helps
| Casa Marina Reef | Frustrated |
We were in Sosua for a New Years wedding, however, the hotel we were staying at for the wedding had no activities and did not have a beach, so we decided to move down to Casa Marina Reef for our remaining four days in the Dominican Republic.
We were shown an adequate room. The pool and beach area looked fine except for the very worn out/broken chaise lounges. There were a number of restaurants which, again, were okay (some better than others) but certainly nothing to write home about. To sum up: it was "okay". If there had been anything at all that was better, we would have gone there, but this is not an area where you will be able to find really nice accommodations.
The room we were actually given when we moved in was really awful...it was dark to begin with, but though we called and called, we were not able to obtain light bulbs for two days, so it was really dark in there!
The toilet overflowed twice...once, it was so bad that we had to use all the towels and the two bedspreads to stop the overflow from coming into the bedroom.
The sheets did not fit the bed, and we woke up each morning sleeping on the bare mattress...ug!
Our brand new hairdryer was stolen from the room, and we were told by housekeeping that they thought it was theirs, and they had been lending it out all day to other guests. They never did find it, but the hotel manager did reimburse us for it.
There is a lot more to tell, but the bottom line is that NO ONE THERE CARES whether you are having a comfortable stay. They did nothing but lie to us over and over and over again about everything! The truth is, if they had just been up front with us, we never would have been as utterly frustrated with all of this as we were.
The problem is likely that this is a very, very poor area. There is a great deal of theft and men walking around with rifles for protection. It is hard for someone working in the hotel to hear a guest complain that they don't have lightbulbs or that the toilet is overflowing when they have to go home to a house with only three walls and a dirt floor...its sad really.
We were to the southern coast of the Dominican a number of years ago and had a much better experience there (until our money was stolen from our room on our last night there) as far as accommodations, etc. went. I would never again go to the Puerto Plata/Sosua area...and maybe never back to the Dominican Republic. There are just too many nice places to go to for a vacation without all the hassle.
| Casa Marina Reef | Melanie |
Arrived at the hotel with a warm welcome and a well awaited ice cold drink which really impressed us as it was a very Hot day.
Was taken to our room by a porter again we thought was a really nice touch.
Room was adequate and comfortable for what we needed, needs a little updating but pleasant enough.
The complex it's self was clean and tidy and well maintained (Very Happy) only main concern we really had was the occasional Fly floating in the Swimming Pool, but not alot you can really do about that.
Entertainment throughout the day and Evening...Superb!!! couldn't fault it at all
Highly recommended to Family and friends
FANTASTIC HOLIDAY!!!!!
| Casa Marina Reef | Elizabeth ~ USA |
My boyfriend and I JUST got back from Casa Marina; we stayed from July 9th-16th... First of all you should keep into consideration that the Dominican republic is a third world country, so each resort has its ups and downs. You also should consider that the Dominican and many other Spanish orientated countries have different customs than what you may be use to. With that in mind, I will try to tell you as much as possible to my wonderful experience at Casa Marina Reef… Keep in mind this may be long!
Departure/Getting There: We flew out of Boston around 6am; we had a layover in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We then flew from PR straight to POP. We didn’t get to the resort until 3pm. As we found out, if you are only going for a week, you already lose two of your days to travel. The flight seems pretty long if you’re seated in economy. We flew American Airlines, we were not very impressed. No snacks were given during the flight to Puerto Rico, which was a little over three hours, Beverages were offered once. Meals were not offered, which was also strange since we were flying between breakfast hours. After arriving in Puerto Rico, we stopped and had about an hour and a half layover. We grabbed something small to hold us over, and then headed to the duty free shops (where alcohol is very inexpensive!). The flight to POP was a little better; we were given chips and offered drinks twice. Upon arrival you are directed to get your bags. Mine was there just as expected, no mishaps thank goodness! After you gather your bags, you go through I guess what we would call immigration. This is where you pay the $10p/p tourist card fee, then you are directed to go through and have your passports checked and stamped. From here you go straight through to the exit. Like I’m sure you’ve read, hold on to your bags. There will be people who will offer to bring your bags to the cab, but for a price of course! This is where things began to get funny! *Keep in mind, while we were there we were warned about how the taxi drivers go on strike, it did not affect us they were there and ready, but Casa does NOT have shuttle service* There is a board with set prices to each destination, To go to Sosua its $20. There is a man standing by the board who will direct you to a taxi. We were directed to a car, probably an older Oldsmobile Cutlass or Buick. The car had gashes down both sides, the windshield was cracked, the inside was beat up, and the AC didn’t work. As we sat in the back of the car we expected to be taken to some far off place where no one would hear us scream! As we drove we passed cars at high speeds, nearly got into about 6 head on collisions. *The driving in the DR is CRAZY, the roads are nothing like we were use to, but that’s how they are. I strongly don’t recommend renting a car* Then all of a sudden, the driver locked up the breaks and all you heard were the screech of the tires. There was a dog in the road, which we came I’d say about a foot from hitting. The driver cursed and screamed at the dog, then went right back to driving, Telling us “Damn animals”. Well we made it finally to the Reef, safely but stirred! We tipped him $5. Check-In: Wonderful! Quick efficient! Friendly! I don’t understand how people thought these people were rude at all. Yes, you may have to wait as some may not understand English as well as others. And others may not know how to do the tasks you need, but they will get someone who can! Patience is a virtue remembers! But they were able to help us out every time we approached them, without hesitation. Check in took about 10 minutes. This is when you pay the all inclusive fees, 40 p/p/d. After then there is a man who will show you to your room and carry your luggage! He was very nice! We gave him a $3 tip. Our Room: We had a room which overlooked the reef pool. Yes the furniture was outdated but it had a theme just like any other hotel. The beds to me were uncomfortable, my boyfriend didn’t think so. When we arrived we had no problems with bugs. My boyfriend checked for bed bugs upon arriving to the room. But we found as soon as we put out our shampoos and soaps and what not, little gnats or fruit flies began to appear in the bathroom, but other then that nothing. The grouting was a little uneven in the bathroom, and there were a few cosmetic things that could have been improved, but come on, it won’t really affect you! Let me explain this little tidbit of information! When we got there we tested the water to make sure it worked, but we couldn’t get the shower head to work, we tried everything and couldn’t figure it out. So we went back down to reception and said our shower was broken. We checked back an hour later to see if they had fixed it and they said it wasn’t broken. So we asked, why can’t we turn it on then. Well, the way to turn the shower on is: To pull down on the bath part! We felt so stupid! Oh! If you like to sleep in late, I wouldn’t recommend a room by the pool, they do 8am water aerobics and it’s pretty loud. Also, you can hear everything! The doors and walls seem to be paper thin. If there are people in the halls, you can hear them. If the room next to you is running the water, you can hear it. The maid cleaned daily, we found that putting the bathmat next to the bed helped a lot from not having sand in the bed! The beds are full size. We’re use to a queen so we were always on top of each other and hogging blankets. So we took the blankets from the extra bed. (there are two full size beds in all rooms). If you keep your slider door closed, the gnats won’t find your room as quickly! There was a pretty decent channel lineup in English! Our AC had no problems, no odd smells, cooled the room off quickly. The room is a room; you shouldn’t be spending a lot of time in there anyway! Weather: While we were there the weather report said showers daily. But it only rained during one day, there were about three showers but they only lasted about 5 minutes each! It’s pretty hot, I expected it to be a lot worse then it actually was. So I guess the trick is to tell your self that it is going to be ridiculously hot, and then when you get there you’ve built up your mind to think that you will melt like an ice cream cone, and it doesn’t seem as bad. We used SPF 15 the first two days and SPF 30 the rest of our stay and we didn’t burn at all. But we also tried to tan a lot before we went! Grounds: The grounds are beautiful, and you always see the staff doing more to improve it. You will see lots of little lizards running around, my boyfriend tried to catch them all week but never succeeded. Lot of great places for photo opts. Chairs everywhere, if you can find an open one! Hammocks for leisure time. Really beautiful property! Some people were rude and tried to ruin this by throwing cups in places where the staff couldn’t really reach them. Or leaving their disposable cups places where the wind could blow them around. There are trash cans everywhere! Also there are portable cigarette trays, use them! Pools/Beaches/Jacuzzi’s: The pools seemed to be more crowded than the beaches. A lot of people will hold their places with towels, but not use them for like three hours. It’s quite rude and annoying. If you’re going to hold a place at least use it in a timely fashion. I felt bad holding a place, and being gone for 10 minutes! *Note to parents- there are a lot of women who tan topless around the pool/beaches, it’s a European culture norm. But be advised. I saw many conversations where little girls/boys would ask “Mommy why is that lady’s boobies out”, I found it a little strange, but hey it’s their way of life!* The pool temperature is a little warm, but still feels good when its that hot! The beaches are very clean, minus the part where people just leave their messes for the staff to clean up. The staff should be responsible for picking up the cups from the bars, not your cigarette butts and trash. The beaches were open to us the whole week, the flag never changed from green! The reef side beach is quite as opposed to the beach side which is the center for the activities, and the beach side pool is quiet as where the reef side pool is the center for the pool activities. The Bars: There are three bars where you can get drinks from 10am-11pm. Your drinks will depend on the bartender, order how you like it! If you don’t like a lot of alcohol in your drinks make them aware! My favorites were the Banana Mama’s and the Casa Marinas. We had one incident where my boyfriend was by himself and got served a drink, I found him passed out on a chair not to far from the bar. He was delirious and pretty much having an experience similar to “E” or a “Roofie”, but this could have been a number of different things such as the sun, or a reaction to some food or who knows. It may have had nothing to do with the drink he was served. But better to make you all aware. Don’t let it put you off, it could have been nothing, and I haven’t heard of anything else happening like that! There are cash bars also around the property which are open different hours. The Buffets: Be aware the restaurants and buffets are all open air! Yes, there are flies. There are flies all over the country! You probably won’t escape them until you go in your nice enclosed room, IF you haven’t left the slider open! The food was ok; I am very picky and always managed to find something to eat. There’s always chicken, rice, bread, veggies, salad, fish, and desserts. Then there are specialty items like pasta, beef, soups, and whatever is on the grill that night. I didn’t go hungry! We didn’t have many problems with digestion but we had all the pills just in case! Breakfast was a little different; we weren’t very impressed with the breakfast selection. The eggs in the buffet are soggy and undercooked, so I suggest you go over to the grill where you can get omelets and just ask for huevos or eggs! They have things like French toast, pancakes, sausages, and oatmeal. There is a cereal bar, which I found that the milk wasn’t cold, so I didn’t go back. During all meals they have fruit available, pineapple was delicious! They also had mangos. Papaya and some others. Bottom line, there should be something to satisfy everyone! A la Carte: There are three a la carte restaurants that you can eat at. You will get coupons when you get there which you can go any morning from 9-11 (I think) and make a reservation. Not a big deal takes like 3 minutes! Personally I think the best time to go is 7 o’clock. We went to two of them at 7 and had much better service. There aren’t as many people there around that time so it’s very personal, you get everything in a timely fashion, and everything is brought to you while it’s still hot! My favorite was the seafood, (and I don’t even life seafood), I got the half a chicken, which was fabulous. The second one we went to was the Italian, we didn’t go there until 8:30 by that time it was mobbed, and it took forever just to track down the people. We were seated right by the kitchen and were graced by the presence of a cockroach while waiting for our meal! The food I had was obviously reheated, and was not very good. But it could have just been since it was so busy or just an off night. The third was the Mexican. Again 7 o’clock did the trick. Very personal and quite! The food was pretty good, I’m not usually one for Mexican, but it was pretty good. My boyfriend said he’s at a toss up between that and the seafood! Keep in mind, if you’re still hungry, order something else! It’s all inclusive! Other: The staff works very hard, if you get the chance to chat with one offer them a drink! Yes, they do allow Dominican families to visit on the weekends. It adds to the volume a little, but hey they allow you on their island, you can allow them in your resort! If you want them to quite down, ask them! They are very nice! We didn’t use any of the water sport equipment so I can’t really comment on that. But they do have a lot of activities do to: aerobics, volleyball, bingo, snorkeling, pool games, shows, tons of things! I did get a massage while I was there an hour is $23 for a normal massage. It was a bit awkward for me but that was the first time I’ve ever had one. Give it a try it’s not too expensive. There is internet there; we paid $2 for 15 minutes. The power outages aren’t a big deal it doesn’t happen for very long! Thermal mugs are nice, we didn’t bring them but it makes a nice addition. They give you 8oz cups with ice, if they gave you any bigger you’d complain your drink got to warm to fast. Don’t worry about the ice or water you are served its purified, but don’t drink the water from the sinks. They have water bubblers with purified water to brush your teeth. The store was a little pricey but not too bad. Overall if you realize that this isn’t a 5 star you’ll have a great time. It’s a vacation enjoy it, don’t let things bother you. Check Out: Takes about 5 minutes, if that really isn’t a big deal. They check to make sure you gave everything back that you should have, and then they make sure you don’t owe them any more money! Then you take your taxi (which are waiting in a line near the hotel) to the airport! The town: Takes some getting use to, I was able to walk through and say no gracias but my boyfriend the softy kept talking to the store owners. A lot of people complain that they are pushy, yes they can be, but you can be pushy at work too cant you! They are just doing their job and trying to get money. How else would you go to their shop? You probably wouldn’t. *Don’t say maybe later. They WILL remember you and say that you said later!* we walked around everyday and nothing bad happened to us. In fact there are a lot of great people out there! If you’re looking to buy rum, check the super Mercado it’s very cheap there! Like $6 for 700ml. Make sure you bring pesos there, that’s all they accept. (there’s a bank @ the reception). If your at a shop, you can get really good deals but you have to be willing to bargin. We got some nice oil paintings for $20 when they told us $90 at first! There are prostitutes, one girl actually tried to cope a feel of my boyfriend while I wasn’t paying attention. Of course he told me after he couldn’t see her anymore! Don’t go out past 11, even the locals will tell you that they won’t leave their houses past this time because it’s dangerous! Excursions: We did the Paradise Island VIP tour, which was nice, but the bus picked us up at casa marina @ 7 and we didn’t get to the island until 11:30, because of all the stops and the total for the bus ride and boat ride. Other then the hold up it was great! It’s supposedly the best snorkeling in the Dominican. They have snacks for you. You snorkel for an hour and a half then you take the boat back through the mangroves. You then go to a place and eat lunch (chicken, bread, salad, pasta, fish, potatoes, and some other things) then you get back on the bus for what seems like forever and you stop at a tourist trap to try the national drink mamajuana (I’m not sure on the spelling) it’s a natural Viagra! It took forever to get back to the hotel. We also went on the Jeep Safari. On the one we went to, they take you to a village where the make statues out of soapstone/wood/ lavastone. You will get a chance to buy them; again your bargaining skills will come in handy! You will also see a cock fight, with little boxing gloves! From there you will go to another village where you will get to try Dominican coffee, you can hold a boa constrictor, check out another shop, and try mamajuana again! Then you take the bus to Jarabacoa, which is where you will climb waterfalls. Which is awesome, you climb five waterfalls with the help of guides. They videotape all of your excursions so if you want you can bring it home with you. You have to wear sneakers to climb the waterfalls though, which stinks because they get pretty dirty in the end. And you can only bring waterproof cameras with you because regular ones would get ruined. But it was SO much fun! I would recommend it to anyone! We booked with Linda from Mel’s tours. She was a sweetheart! She walked to Casa Marina to meet with us, and then took us on a tour back to her office which you will walk through the town and get a good feel of the area. We gave her a tip and she was VERY appreciative! She is an excellent person to do business with, less expensive then the resort for the prices. She has a website, which is: http://www.meltour.sosuadomrep.com/english/index.htm . Overall we had an awesome experience and would defiantly go back! If you have any other questions about anything feel free to contact me! And sorry if reading this took up way to much of your time, I just wanted to help you all out!!!
| Casa Marina Reef | Zara |
Hey, i have been to Casa marina 10 times since 2002, and go again on the 24th July 07 for 2 weeks. The reason i have been so many times and keep going back is because it is a fab place to stay! It is worth the money you pay.
The staff are so friendly and always smiling. The day entertainment is great, they work so hard but its enjoyable and fun. There is never a dull moment! The evening entertainment is a must see, the dancers are so great and the shows are made up from the professional dancers dancing their hearts out to the day entertainment doing the commical parts of the shows, which i myself laugh at every time i go and don't stop laughing! The food can be abit the same every night, but you always get a good choice, meat, veg, pasta, salad, and the chef always cooks a speciallity in the resturant! The rooms are basic but at the end of the day it isn't like your living in them for the whole time your there. Your only in there to shower get ready and sleep. I've never known any of the rooms ive stayed in to be dirty they have always been extremely clean and always smell fresh! They are a bit dark and could do with a few more ceiling lights but thats nothing! The all inclusive bars do close at 11pm and do not open again until 10am, but that's not a problem as the cash bars are cheap alot cheaper than a alcoholic bevie in England! The locals do go to the hotel at the weekends but why shouldn't they??? it is there country it is only like people in Britain going to a Caravan park or hotel on the coast of Britain for a holiday. They have every right to stay there they pay there money like everyone else there! The locals can be really loud but their just enjoying themselves, i can be loud when a few drinks have gone down! (anyone there on 22nd Feb 07, SORRY for all the 'very nice' during the show, it was my 21st birthday) I would recommend this hotel to anyone if they want to have FUN!
| Casa Marina Reef | Gary & Tracey ~ UK |
I met my now fiancée last year at the casa marina reef and we decided to go back as a couple.
Now don’t get me wrong, last year was a great holiday as it was the first time at the resort plus with us meeting you could say we were blind to the fact, as the old saying goes " familiarity breeds contempt"
The reception staff are a joy to behold, check in was as efficient as last year (we even had some fruit and a bottle of rum sent to the room, nice touch). we stayed in room 2520 but if you want a quiet room and don’t want the amphitheatre near you then stay in another block, the noise of an evening there is interesting.
Last year we didn’t go to any shows, not my thing but this year we went to a few and they were ok. The jukebox show was really funny especially when the props go wrong, they take it all as a laugh.
Last year I didn’t enjoy the food, I have always been a fussy eater so what's rough for me others will find palatable. For a 3 star hotel I supposes its ok but to me going back it hadn't changed and even my fiancée found it boring. I actually work in a food factory and I think over the years it makes you sceptical of how other food is prepared and presented, lets just say we should of bought some shares in andrex. Many people enjoyed the food so don’t let me put you off, stomachs work in many ways.
All inclusive? the bars close at 23.00 for us that’s ok but if you enjoy drinking into the wee hours you will have to pay for it at the cash bar, to us that is scandalous for an all inclusive holiday.
The beaches are great, the pools fab, grounds are well kept and the general ambience is really merited.
We went with Thomson's and booked a VIP Columbus trip which included a Yacht crossing and speedboats to a remote island. Last year me and my mate went deep sea fishing and it resulted in me for the first time being seasick and spending that trip in the boats loo. So I was none too happy in seeing our "yacht", yep, you guessed it, the fishing boat, VIP? what a laugh. 10 mins into the trip some people started to throw up, I shouldn’t laugh but this one German lady started with a tissue then onto a carrier bag then a black bin bag, she looked like the world record holder for glue sniffing. 30 mins gone, my stomach started to go, I could smell the VIP breakfast. Cheese and egg on sticks, Gordon Ramsay is safe. I knew that I had survived the seasickness that had affected ten people, why? I hear you ask, I'll tell you, our VIP yacht broke down and we had to be rescued by 3 speedboats, James bond or what?. Only it didn’t please the sickies but after that the trip was fantastic and feeding the fish with bananas was unforgettable. VIP? definitely not.
Overall it wasn’t a "bad" holiday but what a friend said in an earlier review of the beach side you do get what you pay for and if you want more from a holiday then you don’t need me to emphasise a 4 or 5 star stay.
The Casa Marina Reef and beach to look at are wonderfully situated hotels for breathtaking views and I would recommend it for anyone wanting 3 star quality and and by the way they let the locals in Saturday and Sunday and it’s a pain in the rear.
| Casa Marina Reef | Michael ~ New Brunswick |
My wife and I just got back from Casa Marina Reef – Sosua and we wish that we were back!!! It is completely underrated…deserves 4.5
Check-in:
It was quick and efficient. Yulissa at the front desk was a great help throughout our stay. Porters are available to take your bags, ours was helpful and, so quick he left before we could tip him!
Staffs never seem to be looking for tips, although we still did, and they were appreciative.
Room 2557:
The room was great! It had two balconies, one overlooking a tropical path and the other overlooking the ocean. The bathroom was big, clean and plenty of hot water for our entire stay.
Pools:
There three pools, two at the beach side and one on the reef side. They were all very clean and well maintained.
Food:
Two buffet restaurants and three à la carte. We tried all 5 places and loved them all!! Try the Cantalloni at the Italian A la Carte!!!! It was Fabulous, and the Chicken at the Seafood A la Carte, also Fab!!
Grounds:
The resort grounds are very lush tropical and extremely well kept.
Bars, 9 I believe:
The two beach bars are where we spent most of our time especially at the reef side, say Hi to Manuel at the reef beach bar.
Beaches:
There are two beaches, very clean. The Beach side of the resort is more of a party beach and the Reef Beach is quieter, something for everyone. There were days that there were great waves and days that were calmer. We preferred to have fun in the waves.
Jacuzzi’s:
There are three cool water Jacuzzi’s that were wonderful….we spent all our time relaxing by these. Excellent when the sun is beating down on you!
Shows:
The nightly shows were excellent, among the best we have seen in the DR.
In closing we would recommend this resort to any and all that want to travel to the DR, we are planning to go again next year with our pre-teens this time. We found there to be enough activities like pool tables, ping pong, volleyball and three great pools, the huge amphitheatre that played movies on a large screen during the evening before the shows…ect. Oh I also work for a hotel and resort company in Canada.
| Casa Marina Reef | Lora |
What a great vacation we had! Seven of us just returned from casa marina reef on april 7th. (3 adults and 4 kids aged: 14, 12, 9, 8) We flew with skyservice which we found to be your typical economy airline. well here it goes...the GOOD and the NOT SO GOOD parts of casa marina reef....
CHECK IN~~~ at the resort was very quick, front desk staff were excellent, very friendly, got our "welcome" coctail, key card, towel cards, a la carte cettificates, remote for tv and key for safe ($15). Our room was located on the reef side on ground floor, room 2130. It had a patio with 2 chairs and an tiny table. We had an excellent pool view. My kids quite often swam in the pool while i watched them from my patio (when i wanted a break from the sun) we were fairly close to buffet restaurant, front desk, store, etc, We were not really close to a bar however. Our room was basic, 2 double beds which were clean and comfortable, we asked for extra pillows and within 20 minutes we had 4 brought to us! There are no such thing as face cloths here, so bring your own, or use hand towels as a subsitute. Shower had tons of hot water every hour of the day! was a pleasant surprise! The A/C was very powerful, which is a plus since your key card activates all the electricity in your room, its good it doesnt take long to cool it off when you get back to your room! The TV was kinda small and old and reception wasnt that great, channels kept cutting out, we only used our TV at night for an hour or so before we fell asleep anyways, but it would have been nice for it to have been clearer reception. huge closet with tons of hangers for clothes which was located by the door of the room. it also contained the safe. So all in all we were content with our room. A mini-fridge would be an asset here, because when you have water in your room or pop, and you leave your room, the a/c shuts off and your drink doesnt stay cold for long at all. they dont provide ice buckets either.
POOLS~~~super clean and plentiful, usually able to get a lounge chair as well. only critisms here are no swim up bar and water temperatures were surprisingly cold considering the hot climate, however, after laying in the hot sun it doesnt take too long to get used to the temp. the main pool on the reef side always had activities and music, and was lots of fun,. my kids practically lived in this pool! Tip-bring a tube or floatie for a more relaxing time in the water.
BEACH~~~ 2 red flag days..waves were fun to watch those days they were HUGE! 2 yellow flag days...3 greeen flag days, beach was beautiful extremely well maintained very scenic at any time of day. It was difficult to get a lounge chair on the beach a lot of the time. next to impossible to get an umbrella as well, (i guess this is why we could always get one by the pool everyone was at the beach!) the reef side and the beach side were both beautiful. The ocean front jacuzzis were nice and relaxing but very cold! I would have enjoyed an actual "hot" tub more...but it was a good way to cool off on the beach when it was a "red flag" day. Jacuzzis were clean and well maintained, as well there were lots of "private" or "secluded" spots in amongst all the rock gardens...where there were loungers, hammocks...beautiful bushes, and flowers, perfect romantic "honeymoon" kinda spots for peace and tranquility, you have to walk through these areas to truly capture the beauty that I am attempting to explain.
ACTIVITIES~~~there were plenty of fun things to do, and we participated in some things but not tons. They do Bingo on saturdays and sundays at 5pm, with prizes, they have a fun festival with games like darts to pop balloons, putt putt, horse race game etc, this is on Fridays, lots of fun for the kids, with tickets given to particpaters and winners to use for an auction at the end of the festival for prizes. ~Vendors come and set up major tables of souvineers every other night. Heres where to have all your "haggling" fun lol. For example, my son was told it was $100 for a silver chain he liked. Guess who purchased a chain that night for $20!!! Thats 1/5 of the starting price!! They set up their tables near the reef buffet restaurant and a lot more tables closer to the beach buffet restaurant, you kinda have to walk by them to go to supper.
~During the day, they did all the typical resort things like volleyball, water aerobiics, scuba lessons, bicycle tours, fun games, mini golf, dance lessons, pretty much always something to do.
~I booked myself a 30 minute massage one afternoon and it was GREAT! Only $15 for 30 mins, and she did a great job. I tipped her $5. At this spa they do manicures, facials, aromatherapy massages etc, all at very cheap prices, compared to what I am used to.
~Internet Center always had unoccupied stations, every time I walked by, the place looked pretty emoty, but it costs $5 per hour to use them.
~there was a games room where they had pool tables, and a couple other table games, they also had board games like connect four, scrabble, battleship that you could sign out.
FOOD~~ I am an extremely picky eater.when ever I travel ANYWHERE I crave the food back home. Its what I look most forward to upon returning to canada.
The food here in comparison to other resorts I have been to is ok-good. depending on the day/night/where you ate,
~buffet restaurants X2 (one reef one beach) had the same theme going, so there was no point in checking out both buffets before you choose which one looks better because its all the same. Some nights we couldnt find anything good to eat and some nights there would be a few really good items, we did notice the food not being consistant, maybe it depends on who was on shift doing the cooking?!? For example one night there was bbqd spare ribs and they were sooooo good! full of flavour, juicy, meat fell off the bone from tenderness. Then 2 nights later spare ribs again, they appeared the same, but when you bit into them they were bleeding. yuck. raw pork. breakfasts were fantastic, but then again they always are at resorts,. lunches ok, tons of chicken and rice and beans. its the suppers that were a struggle. their dessert selection of cakes, pastries, tarts, ice cream, mousse, fresh cantaloupe and pineapple was always good. Sald bar would have been much better with a wider variety of salad dressings!! None of us enjoy vinagarette dressings, thousand island or blue cheese. I wil never understand why resorts cannot have RANCH or FRENCH dressing for their salads!! Since there is no mini-fridge in the rooms here you cant bring your own bottle of dressing. So salads were a dissapointment to us. ~some of their theme nights were: Carribean cuisine...Italian night..Oriental night...Seafood night....Americas night...sometimes we couldnt see much of a difference of selection even though there was a new theme.
~beach hut~ (only open till 4pm) this place had excellent fried chicken wings that they served every other day, opposite days it was baked chicken which was medicore. They always had at least 2 kinds of pizza for the taking, my kids seemed to like it ok, they said the cheese was a little "different". but it was edible none the less. Their french fries were really good, and they actually had real HEINZ ketchup!! I didnt have to crack open the take along bottle i had in my room! hot dogs werent edible in my opinion, and neither were the burgers, to each his own, but the 7 of us didnt like either one. all in all we found the beach hut to be a better choice for lunches.
~itallian a la carte~excellent service, quality of food was pretty good according to my family (i dont like italian food) they wanted to come back for a second supper here!
~mexican a la carte~once again excellent service and atmosphere, my family say the food here was mediocre. ( i dont like mexican either lol)
they have a 3rd a la carte which is all seafood, we didnt go to that one so no comments here.
SHOPPING~~ aside from the every other night vendors, there are 2 stores on site, one on beach side and one on reef side. the one on the beach side had tons of bathing suits and wraps and things like mugs, keychains, soap stone, rum, vanilla, coffee, ashtrays etc, lots to look at prices a little high, but I have seen worse. The store on the reef siide is a little smaller but is worth looking around in as well, I found the prices on things like chocolate bars, chips, pop, bottled water, to be cheaper than previous resorts I have stayed at, for example I have seen pringles cost approx $8 USD in playa dorada, here it worked out to about $3 . bottle of pop came to less than a dollar. ( ithink it was 25 pesos) cigarettes were 99 pesos for american brands like Marlborough,
I would reccommend taking a walk a couple blocks from the resort to go to the "supermarcado" the prices there on the vanilla, rum coffee were excellent! like 19 pesos for a medium sized bottle of vanilla. ciagrettes were about $18 usd for a carton (a carton is over $30 at the resort) There were also sosua tshirts there for under $5usd!!
BARS~~~the drinks were good quality, consistent throughout entire resort..no complaints....bartenders very friendly and efficient.
OVERALL~~ We would totally reccommend this resort to anyone looking for a relaxing or fun vacation! This place is great for kids for sure......honeymooners would be in paradise.....but I dont think I would suggest this place for "spring breakers" and/or people only going for party purposes...everything shuts down a little early (bars at 11pm...no midnight snacks here, no casino etc) I have stayed at resorts more suited for partiers. This resort is rated a 3 star, since I am totally used to 3 and 3.5 star places, this is what I compare it to, and I would give it a 4 STAR...a swim up bar and a fridge in the rooms would perfect it to me!
Would we go back here? YES if we stay in Sosua again we will be returning to casa marina.
| Casa Marina Reef | Jo and Rob Morrison ~ Lancashire. England |
We got back from Dom Rep on 11th of Feb 2007. Having been to Casa Marina Reef Hotel in 2001 and 2002 we felt it was time for another visit. The place was even better than the last time we were there. The gardens were so much tidier. You could see so much work going on all of the time. The friendly staff are on hand to help in any way possible and always with a smile.
The rooms, which have two double beds, now also have about eighty channels to choose from on the TV. Handy to fill a couple of hours between sunset and dinner. After dinner there are some excellent shows. The Zodiac Show is a must. Absolutely brilliant. The entertainment team work all day on the activities, then do the shows at night.
The food selection in the Buffet restaurant is so good that we ate far too much. We did try the Italian but weren't impressed. There is no need to go to the speciality restaurants as there is so much choice in the Buffet. The food is always hot and fresh. At breakfast the most delicious omelettes are made while you wait, with your choice of filling. One of the reasons we went back was because we knew the food was good. Weightwatchers here I come.
We visited the Ocean World Water Park. This was not as big as we expected. I don't think it was good value at all. The one at Punta Cana looks better and is a lot cheaper. I did swim with the Dolphins. That was brilliant. Thanks again Estelle and Alistair for your lovely gift.
I won't go on. Just look at all the good reviews other people have sent in and get booking.
| Casa Marina Reef | Dean Coutts ~ Cambridge , Ontario |
I will start off by saying ,i was at the Casa Maria Reef Jan. 18th-25th and is a great place. We got in at around 10 pm , and the front desk staff were wonderful , they had us ALL in our rooms by 10:30 .The first full day was spent just checking things out and found the grounds to be immaculate , big pool , nice sandy beach . Breakfast was a little disapointing , nothing was HOT it was eatable thou. Went into town and , if you can't say no , don't go as all the shop owner want to sell you some thing , you can haggle but , you will do it with them all . The nightly enterainment was pure enjoyment , it is all the staff that put the shows on. Anyway that was my first trip outside of North America and i WILL go back. Make sure you take sun tan loition and keep it on , i went swimming and got a burn like never before.
| Casa Marina Reef | Kathy & Brad ~ Ontario, Canada |
Had a wonderful two weeks in Sosua, our first time staying in the town. We were at Iberostar Costa Dorada in Puerto Plata (next to Coral Marien) in 2005 and Azzurro Estrella in Cabarete in 2004.
THE FLIGHT
Sunwing from Thunder Bay to London, Ont., then direct to Puerto Plata. Most passengers boarded at London. Movies, TV shows, music and free headsets. Hot lunch was good, free glass of champagne, wine, snack. We arrived 30 minutes early at POP airport despite delay in London.
POP AIRPORT
Pretty fast, other than filling out the blue immigration forms. Make sure that you bring a few pens with you. I can't believe how many people didn't have anything to write with. You pens will quickly disappear! Quick through immigration and waited almost an hour for our luggage. No Sunwing signage in the baggage area, so we didn't know which conveyor belt would have our luggage. Another packed flight at the the same time as ours; it was crowded and loud.
Sunwing rep was at the airport main entrance and directed us to the proper bus number for everyone heading to Casa Marina Reef & Beach. We all got off on the Beach side, registered and half of us were told that we were staying in the Reef side, yet our Sunwing information did not specify Reef or Beach side. It took our bus drive, Beach staff and Sunwing rep about 20 minutes to decide to load our luggage back on the bus and take us to the Reef side reception, a 2 minute drive and on the same property, but not practical when you have luggage.
Check-in at Reef side was quick, a porter gave us a cold fruit drink while we waited in line. We received ONE security card for our room (that's all you get), TV remote control, 6 coupons for specialty restaurants, wrist bands. A porter helped us with our luggage to building 23, third floor. We tipped him $5 US.
THE GROUNDS, ACTIVITIES, STUFF WE BROUGHT
So clean, well manicured, grounds staff always primping and priming, cleaning. There's a small beach on the reef side that's quieter, but the stairs are steep. Larger beach on the Beach side with volleyball net, water activities, nearby bar and Italian and Seafood Restaurants. Three cool freshwater Jacuzzis that are very refreshing when it's hot and humid. Three pools, the largest is on the Reef side. Aerobics, volleyball, basketball, scuba diving lessons, shallow pool for kids. The middle pool on the Beach side by El Batey buffet restaurant was less crowded and more shaded areas. Countless palm and banana trees, flowers, small lizards, a gazebo for weddings and additional shelter, hammocks, Kikos activity centers, use of bicycles and scheduled activities all day. Nightly entertainment from 9:45 to 11 pm. We didn't watch any, though. 7 bars, several are cash bars only. Disco opens at 11 pm until 3 am daily. Bring lots of sunscreen, toiletries, bug spray and After Bite as these kinds of products are more expensive than what you might pay at home. We saw very few mosquitoes, but took our Novo-Chloroquine pills anyway, plus medicines - Robitussin DM, Halls, Buckleys, Neo-Citron, decongestants, chicken noodle cup-a-soup, Kleenex, Vick's Vaporub (I had a nasty cold upon arrival) Advil, small first aid kit with various Band-Aids and Polysporin, Pepto Bismal, Immodium DM, ear/eye drops, feminine products, Tums and facecloths. There were some minimal power disruptions, but generators kicked in within seconds. One wicked storm knocked power out for over 10 minutes, lots of lightning, ocean was fierce and beaches closed for guests' safety. Waves well over 20 feet high. What a sight, from the safety of shore, of course!
Internet room - $5 US for an hour, there were only three operating terminals. Not 24 hours as stated on resort map and information. Sometimes it was closed for an entire day or more due to power disruptions or network problems, without any notice on the door. Go down the street for a 2 minute walk, there are plenty of Internet service providers $2-$3 an hour. The resort Internet service isn't reliable.
Stores - There are two onsite, open 9 am to 9 pm (most days) and closed during the lunchhour. We bought a few things there, but most items in Sosua at the Playero Supermercado and a local art store, as well as a couple of vendors in Sosua Bay, next to Sosua Bay Hotel, about 7 minute walk from Casa Marina. We found the vendors there too pushy and their prices way to high for our liking. We preferred the non-pushy vendors who allowed you to browse without hassling you. Haggling is an artform. If you prefer not to haggle, buy your alcohol and souvenirs at a Supermercado. The Playero Supermercado had a great selection, good prices, lots of alcohol, water, food, produce, toiletries, etc. There's also a Super Super Liquor Store about 3 minute walk from Casa Marina entrances and 24 hour pharmacy on the way to Checkpoint restaurant and Sosua Bay Hotel. Everything you need is less than 10 minute walk from Casa Marina.
SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS
Mexican, Seafood and Italian. We tried them all, but liked the Italian and Seafood the best. There's a cash menu at the Seafood restaurant and we had lobster one night - $20 US each for 3 lb lobster. Wine is extra, $12 US to over $100 US, champagne, too. Food was good, service was good, two singing guitarists serenade guests. Book your reservations right away to avoid disappointment. They did fill up during our second week there. Glad we booked throughout the two weeks right away. You can fill out your reservation coupons and take them to the reef or beach reception desk and book immediately, instead of waiting for your rep. to come onsite. You do not have to book through your rep., despite what you will be told at your orientation session. We left $5 US tip on the table as 3-4 people wait on you during your dinner. We paid about $12 to $18 US for a bottle of wine. You have to get a bottle, it's not sold by the glass on the resort. All wine is imported to the DR. Red and white "house" wine by the glass is complimentary, but too vinegary for our liking.
ROOM
We were on the third floor, reef side, with ocean view. Clean overall, in-room safe, good condition, furniture a bit banged up, but everything was in working order, especially air conditioning. Some small ants invaded the bathroom at night, but no major concerns with the room, Satellite TV over 80 channels didn't have good reception but we spent little time in our room anyway. We left some small gifts we brought with us and money regularly for the maid with notes in Spanish and things for kids, in case she had any.
BUFFET RESTAURANTS
Great selection of hot and cold foods, beverages, breakfast, breads, salad bar, desserts, ice cream, Dominican dishes, specialty theme nights. Christmas Eve, Day and New Years Eve and Day buffets at Acantilado (reef side) and El Batey (beach side) were amazing (see my pictures on Webshots). Not enough staff in the buffet restaurants during week #2. We had to wait until after 8:30 pm to get a table, then track down cutlery, napkins, glasses and water ourselves.
EXCURSIONS
We booked with Linda at Mel' Tour in Sosua. You do not have to book any excursions with your tour rep, nor do you have to attend the orientation session, if you don't want to. If this is your first time to the DR, keep an open mind at the orientation session and don't be afraid to leave the resort grounds.
Paradise Island - we loved everything about the trip, except the pelting rain on our tour of the mangroves after snorkeling. Boat ride to the island was a bit scary, high waves. If you have back problems, avoid this excursion. Wear alot of sunscreen. Very little shelter on the island. Saw many colourful fish and reef plants that were awesome to swim around. Buffet lunch at the restaurant on a small town was awesome and stopped at a souvenir store to buy goodies and taste Mamajuana, the DR's national drink. It's not for everyone! Lots of drinks on the bus.
Santiago/Jarabacoa - Visited largest cigar factory in the DR, national monument with a fantastic view of Santiago, pottery factory, horseback riding, trek to a cool waterfall for a swim, buffet at the ranch, lots of drinks on the bus. Awesome being in areas where parts of the Jurassic Park movies were made.
SOSUA
Don't be afraid to leave the resort and wander through the quaint, bustling town of Sosua, right outside the beach and reef entrances. Lots of shops, bars, restaurants, sights, supermercados, etc. Visit Colleen and Mark for an amazing Checkpoint burger on Tuesdays and Thursday. Colleen makes amazing homemade burgers and other special treats. Good value for your money. Linda at Mel' Tour is right behind Checkpoint, as well as a money exchange shop where we got good value for our US and CAD $. Visit the Checkpoint online forum to ask questions, directions, advice, connect with others who live and visit the DR. We also had lunch at Bailey's restaurant and planned to go to La Finca restaurant, but our two weeks quickly came to an end.
CHECKOUT
Fast! One of the few times that I didn't have to wait in a line. Handed in our TV remote, security card, two towel cards, safe key and we had over two hours to enjoy our remaining time before the bus picked us up at 3 pm. Put our luggage in the Luggage Room, but it's not consistently monitored so keep valuables, money, passports, airline tickets, etc. with you at all times.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
We did like this resort but it was very crowed in week #2, just before New Year's Eve. Disturbances in the early morning due to the disco and very intoxicated people. The staff did have to put up with alot of flack and drunk guests, but they did appreciate extra tips. This is not a 5-star resort, so don't expect 5-star amenities and service. It is no more than a 3.5-star resort, but it was excellent value for our money and we would go there again, maybe not over Christmas and New Year's though.
AIRPORT CHAOS
This was the worst part of the entire trip. Even though this was our third time to the DR, we were still frustrated trying to pay our departure tax and find our departure gate. None of the arrival/departure monitors worked and there was no listing anywhere of flights. Our gate number changed and no one knew where we were supposed to go. However, it was due to Sunwing's lack of signage and miscommunication by airport check-in staff. It left a bad impression with many people on our full flight. Hopefully, Sunwing has actually put up signs upstairs in the departure area and stationed at least one rep. up there to help direct travelers. It was total chaos and not fun, especially after waiting 1.5 hours in line just to check in at the Sunwing desk and get our boarding cards. Never had these problems with Sunquest and Signature. Some elderly people and families with small children were not amused at all; neither were we. Flight home was good, once we found our plane, food was good, enjoyed some of a movies, TV episodes and musica. Didn't buy any of the Duty Free. We arrived over half an hour earlier than expected. Wishing we were back in the DR now that it's snowing heavily here.
I wrote a detailed review that's many pages, much longer than this version at http://www.atomiczombie.com/travelreport.htm and over 150 pictures at http://community.webshots.com/user/koolkat169
Keep an open mind and experience everything that this developing country has to offer. Everyone we met was fantastic and friendly. Just be smart, be safe and use common sense at all times. We will be returning there again this year for sure. Feel free to contact me if you would like more information or have questions. I'll do my best to assist you.
| Casa Marina Reef | Claire |
Read lots of good and bad reports on this hotel before I left, and was a bit worried about it before I got there. I stayed from Oct 2nd - Oct 16th.
I was not disappointed at all, it was fantastic and I have already booked to go again. The grounds of the hotel are really lovely, and very clean. There are 3 pools, the reef one is where most of the games and entertainment takes place, the other two are by the beach and are bit quiter. There are 3 lovely beach side jacuzzi's which have a great view and are really refreshing. Always plenty of sun loungers and lots of space.
The two buffet resturaunts are good, we preferred the beach one, mainly because of the view, but the food is always good in both. Great omelettes in the mornings. Of the 3 other resturaunts, the Italian was my favourite, great service and lovely food.
The evening entertainment is great, very funny and the dancers are fantastic, they put so much effort into everything.
The rooms are basic, but they are clean and have everything you need, you don't spend much time in them anyway!
Overall, a great holiday, made even better by the Dominican people, some of the nicest people in the world, so friendly and will do anything to help you.
Have fun when you go and make sure you visit Ocean World Adventure Park
| Casa Marina Reef | Marie |
i think case marina is the best hotle i've been to. the staff are so fun friendly and no matter what thry have always got a smile on there face. i meet some very great mates at case marine reef and i'm off to go back to visit them this year in sep. there was called chico, tania, johnny, benj , robby and lots more. if you have just comr back from case marina reef or beach and you meet them can you tell me know they are still there at marieinatree@yahooo.com.uk thank you. its a very nice place to justed chill or even to have a laght
| Casa Marina Reef | Anne |
Hi, me and my husband have just returned from the Casa Marina Reef Hotel after 8 wonderful days.
We arrived at the resort on 31st July and came home on 7th August. Heat hit us like a sledge hammer! Worth getting your tourist card from the Dominican Republic embassy in London prior to flying to save time queuing up on arrival after a long flight.
Hotel:
Welcome drink on arrival - much needed as the heat hit us when we got off the plane. Hotel is approx. 15 minutes from the airport and air conditioned coaches were a welcome. Key for the safe is $15.00 dollars and worth the peace of mind.
Booked in after a few minutes. Received 2 beach towel voucher/cards, TV remote control and a door card which you need to slot into the device inside the room to supply electricity and air-conditioning. Room lovely and clean. Two double beds with clean crisp linen. TV gave CNN News (channel 12). Film channels and other stuff from channel 51 onwards. No kettle or hairdryers in the room so if you take these make sure they are duel voltage.
Bathroom clean with a bath and overhead shower. Plenty of clean towels.
Rooms cleaned thoroughly around 3 every afternoon - down our corridor anyway! Food Excellent. Only used the buffet restaurant - didn't bother with the three other restaurants on sight.
Breakfast: Tonnes of choice. Breakfast buffet gave all the cereals, yoghourts, fresh fruit, selection of cold meats and cheeses and always scrambled and boiled eggs amongst loads of other selections. Chef will always cook fresh omelettes and fried eggs on request. Tea and coffee on tap. Open from 7 till 10
Lunch and Dinner: Again, only used the buffet service as we didn't feel the need to try the three restaurants on sight as the selection was huge. Different buffet theme every day so something different always. Beef was first class american import. One day my husband had 5 fillet steaks. Open 12:30 till 14:30 and 18:30 till 23:00 hours. Snacks served outside these times.
Pools: 2 massive pools. Plenty of beach beds available.
Beach: Spotless. Gold sands and warm water. Again plenty of beach beds for all. Only one problem there were 2 or 3 local lads who were a bit of a bother, especially with the young women who had a job to get rid of them!! Beach shower brilliant to rinse off and bar at top of beach with good service. Beach towels are swopped for your original tokens and swapped daily for clean towels. This service is open from 8 each morning until 1800 hours.
Jacuzzis: 3 jacuzzi's built into reef with a bar close by. This was the perfect place if you were too hot on the beach as plenty of shade under the palm trees. A few hammocks also available and showers to rinse off. A coffee/tea cart is located by this area from 16:00 hours which you can help yourself to tea/coffee/cakes and biscuits.
Didn't go on any of the trips as it was too hot but from what we hear, they were all very well organised.
Weather was very hot so please use minimum of factor 30 sunscreen and hats. We paced ourselves by going to the beach from 8 till 10 each morning, had a break then back again until lunch time. Afternoons we spent by the jacuzzi's - the shade was a god send. Rained 3 times - very short showers but lovely and refreshing. Mosquitos were around but no problem for us as we used insect repellent containing 50% DEET. Worked for us. A few people were covered in bites though but not sure if they used a repellent.
Market stalls were allowed into the hotel on a couple of evenings along with hair braiders! Difficult to walk passed them without being hassled.
In a nutshell, fantastic holiday, excellent hotel and facilities and staff very friendly and always obliging.
Have a great holiday, you will not regret a minute of it.
| Casa Marina Reef | Ann, Helsby, Cheshire |
We have just returned from a two week holiday at the Casa Marina Reef in Sosua. We had a wonderful holiday. The hotel was superb, we have stayed in hotels with 4/5 stars in the past that have not come up to this standard. The rooms we basic but perfectly adequate. Everything else was of a very high standard. The "all-inclusive" was wonderful - the food was of a high standard with a variation of theme each evening over the two week period. The three al a carte restaurants were excellent and made a nice addition to the event. The water sport facilities were excellent and my daughter and husband made full use of them. The staff work extremely hard and are all very friendly and helpful and go out of their way to ensure everyone has a good holiday. The entertainment each evening is outstanding, how they manage to perform such a wide variety of shows each evening is unbelievable- they never stop working!!
We went on three excursions but if you could only pick one go on the Monster Truck Safari. This is an amazing day and gives you a good insight into Dominican life. Both my daughters and ourselves found the experience very humbling. We were so glad to have experienced it and I think its important to see this side of life a) to help the people and b) to appreciate what you have yourself!
We had a fantastic holiday and are now trying to book for next year. A holiday I would strongly recommend.
| Casa Marina Reef | Rachel Jim and Charlie ~ Sheffield |
Just got back from the Casa Marina Reef hotel on Sosua
Well what can I say everything about the holiday was wonderful so much so that today is Friday 21 and I have just booked to go again next year.
Everything from the food to the entertainment the friendly people would recommend this place to everyone.
| Casa Marina Reef - Sosua | Rachel & Paull ~ Swansea, Wales |
Booked the holiday 3 weeks before. Staying at The Casa Marina Reef, Sosua, Dominican Republic Wednesday 14th June – Wednesday 21st June2006.
I don’t know where to start! Beautiful location, beautiful people and beautiful weather! I’ll start from the beginning!
Flight & Cardiff Airport
Left Cardiff on time had a good flight and good food. Let me give you a tip! I bought 200 Lambert + Butler Gold in Cardiff Airport costing me £19.00
WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE ON PLANE I COULD HAVE HAD 400 OF THEM FOR £1 MORE, £20 FOR 400!!! SAME WITH TOBACCO TOO. WAS THE IN AIRPORT AND THE SAME ON THE WAY HOME TOO!!!
The flight attendants give you your tourist card / visa form to fill out on the plane, you pay $10 at the airport, don’t give the money, passport and your form together when handing them over because I saw a few people who said they had paid and that the money was in their passport…make of that what you will…they had to pay again!
It was raining when we got there but only a shower and to be honest I didn’t care! It was just what we needed! There was a little band to welcome us, be nice and leave them a little donation. Then it was off to find our transport to the hotel. If you don’t want to have to pay a tip for someone carrying your luggage for you do not put your bags down get a trolley, but a polite no will be enough. Found our taxi and we were off. Took 20 mins to get to the Casa Marina Reef, I tipped the Taxi Driver $10, which I think was very reasonable.
Casa Marina Reef Hotel
Arrived at Hotel at 4 pm.
We were welcomed in the Lobby with in ice cold fruit punch, I can tell you we really needed that! Queued at Reception to book in. Were given an envelope containing room card key, towel cards, remote control and a book of 3 vouchers to book tables in the Italian Mexican and Seafood restaurants, more about this later. I also paid $15 for a safe deposit key ( safe is in your room ) its $15 per week. We were taken to our room 2531 by a Bell boy I tipped him $5. Room was nice and clean absolutely fine for a 3 * pity it wasn’t over looking the pool though.
We dumped our stuff and changed and went off to explore! First we found the pool and I went straight in, the pool was really big, nice and clean too.
Buffet Restaurant by the Lobby opens at 6.30 for evening meals and 12.30 for lunch. Really nice food in there different variety every day, I ate a lot of rice, was nice to try out some of the local food like sweet banana, fried yam ect. There is salad on offer and fruit there is a bar, you can have coffee and tea hot chocolate and Horlicks too, will warn you their coffee is not like ours! This Restaurant is also open lunch times, again with a wide variety of food, lots of fruit and salad too. Never disappointed. Wandered round the Hotel exploring and turned in for an early night!!!
Thursday 15th June
Buffet Restaurant is open at 6.30 am! Continental, cereal, fruit, salad, porridge, toast, ( beautiful bread a bit sweeter than ours but we loved it ) yoghurts, cold meats, chesses and good old cooked breakfast, if you want a fried egg ask the Chef he will do you one and he also makes omelettes with your choice of toppings, this is great as he does this in front of you. There’s coffee tea ect.
After breakfast we decided to go out of the Hotel for a walk. I would advise to go in a group because you get hassle as soon as you walk out of the Hotel which was a pity because we really wanted to go and see the things on offer in the little shops. We turned round and went back to the Hotel. We didn’t left the Hotel again apart from the organised trips and to go home! Please don’t let me put you off, if you want to go out you go!!! Its just it was only my son and I and we felt a bit vulnerable.
Had our talk with the Sun Med Rep at the Welcome Meeting, do go along to these our Rep Sandra was full of information and if you have any problems she told us when she was there so we could go and see her or there is a contact number if we needed to get in touch with her.
Spent a day by the pool soaking up the sun. Had a few spots of rain but nothing to rush indoors for. Also booked the meals in the restaurant, Italian on the Saturday night and the Mexican on the Sunday night, book these early to avoid disappointment.
Lunch time the Mexican restaurant is open for burgers hot dogs, salad, fruit, burgers pizza and lots, lots more.
The bars don’t serve soft drinks on tap the Fanta Sprite and Coke all come out of bottles!!! Try a Brown Cow, I wont tell you what it is…just ask for one!
Friday 16th June
Take a hat, swimwear and plenty of sun cream and towels. Paid $80. ( adult )
Monster Truck Safari today, had to be in the Lobby for 8.15 for our transport to pick us up to take us to the Monster Truck Depot. Paull was suffering with toothache so he couldn’t come, I went alone but had a refund for his $80 off the Rep the next day. Had breakfast then went to wait in Lobby. Fab air conditioned bus!
Our Driver was Steve our Guide was Oto and our Barman was Wilkinson. Yes I did say Barman!!!
We went through Sugar Plantations, went past very near where Jurassic Park was filmed, we visited a school ( bring pens, pencils, crayons, felt tips, paper rubbers, glitter, glue, sweets, anything you can think of from home to give to the school, give the paper to the teacher though) it was very very basic. We visited a house that let us try some coffee. Then it was off to the typical Dominican house where we looked around and met La La the owner of the house had a look at her banana trees and they way in which they lived. We stopped off for a buffet lunch by a river which was really nice with lots to drink, we could take a dip and swim in the river, we stayed here for 2 hours which was a nice break, and it was absolutely beautiful here. We then went off to the Monster Truck Safari Souvenir Shop where they offer you coffee and local cakes. I bought some bottles of flavoured Rum. There is Rum on sale there which is 151% proof, apparently it is like rocket fuel! It will be illegal from September on to take this Rum in suitcases you will have to carry this in your hand luggage!
This trip was fab and I would recommend it to young and old, however you will get a bit wet when having water fights with the other Monster Trucks, Oto gave out little plastic bags of water…enough said!!! In the first part of the day Pepsi, Sprite, Fanta Water and Beer is on offer, they don’t let you go thirsty!!! On the way home it’s a totally different kettle of fish…this is when the Rum comes out!!! Watch how they pour it for you, wish they did it like that in the U K!!!
Got back to Hotel for 5 pm.
So all in all a fantastic day.
Paid Steve Oto and Wilko a $5 tip each.
Had evening meal and chilled out for rest of evening.
Saturday 17th June
Got up late Monster Truck was shattering!
The Hotel Reps are mad ( these are the ones with the orange T shirts ) we found this out today, especially Roberto! Paull played darts with some people and Billy one of the Hotel Reps.
By the pool there is a place where you can renew your towels with your towel cards. You give in your towel card and you get a towel, when you need new towels you take the old towels back, don’t forget to collect your card and give your towels in before you leave and don’t loose your towels, you might be charged! You can also have a diving lesson in the pool, they come around to see if you are interested, there is also free kayaking, windsurfing and snorkelling. The place where you collect your towels from have games like Jenga ect…ask them they will let you borrow them!
Went to the Italian Restaurant and had a beautiful Spaghetti Bolognaise!
Paull had a stunning looking Pepperoni Pizza! We had our hair braided tonight, it cost me $40 each, do haggle with them I got it down from $65! Saturdays and Tuesdays the local people are allowed to come in to set up stalls at both Hotels which was nice because if you don’t want to go out its much better, be prepared to haggle with them though! The girls who braid hair are usually outside the Theatre opposite the Restaurant by the Lobby.
Sunday 18th June
Time to sit back and relax going to Ocean World tomorrow!!!
Paull played more darts, this became an afternoon event.
Paull won today and won a bag of coffee!!!
I went on the banana boat today out in the bay, he managed to get us off once but couldn’t get us off again!!!
Went down to the Jacuzzis which are right on the rocks over looking the sea and right next to the bar, the water is lovely and cold!!! Worth a visit to cool down.
To the right of the bar is the Casa Marina Beach Hotel, you can use the facilities in this Hotel too, the Thompson Tour Desk is in this Hotel too. There is also a Beauty Salon Hairdressers and Shop.
The Theatre always has something on at night where there are 2 bars. In the day the Hotel Reps are rehearsing in there, have a seat and watch them, they don’t mind! To the back of the Theatre is the Rep Desk this is where you will find your Reps when they are there.
Monday 19th June
Take hats, sun cream, swimwear and towels.
Went for breakfast and then to the Lobby for our bus to Ocean World Adventure Park , our guide was Hamlet. Nice air conditioned bus. Took about 40 mins from Hotel.
Wow what a big place, first you enter Ocean World Adventure Park through a waterfall.
Had to go and get our wrist bands and then we were free to do what we wanted. My swim with the Dolphins was 3 pm. Paid $145 for Dolphin Swim and $55 for Paull this was just for admission. You don’t have to take part in anything if you don’t want you can just go for the day to watch and look around and down by the Dolphins is a little beach where you can chill out and soak up some sun.
The Lunch Buffet is right at the entrance ( this is included in the price but drinks aren’t ).
The Sea Lions were amazing and very naughty and cheeky. You could have your pictures taken with them too. You have to pay extra to do the Sea Lion encounter.
The Sharks and the Rays were beautiful, people were swimming with them and touching and holding them. You could have your picture taken with them too. You have to pay extra to do the Shark and Ray encounter.
Walking though to get to the different places you will see showers where you can cool off and big tanks with huge fish swimming round to watch.
You can snorkel in the reef they have there, this is free.
The Tiger Grotto is amazing, I had my picture taken with them and this cost me $12. You can also swim in the lagoon next to the Tigers, only glass separates you from them, you have been warned! The Tigers were beautiful. You are told your pictures will be ready in the Photo Lab within 20mins. ( you don’t have to buy the frame which does save you $2 dollars just the photo costs $10 ) Just to the side of the Tiger Grotto is the Bird Show, unfortunately we missed this. But we did manage to go to the Bird Avery, the Love Birds sweep down and sit on your head or your hand. Also saw the Toucans and the Parrots.
My Dolphin Swim was at 3 pm, you are asked to get there 30 mins before, get your lifejackets first then they brief you tell you what not to touch ect!
The half an hour went really fast. It was an experience in a life time. You can have your pictures taken with them, I paid $10 with out frames and bought a DVD of myself and the group I was in for $45, you can have just you on your own in a DVD like a Hollywood style thing and that’s $65, but you have to ask for this before hand.
I danced with the Dolphins, fed them fish and at the end the last thing we did was to have a Dorsal Tow with them where you hold on to their fins and they pull you along.
We found at 4 pm the Buffet was still there and if you wanted more to eat you could.
The Souvenir shop was a bit pricey.
Got back to Hotel at 5.55 after an exhausting day. A highly recommended trip to take and one I won’t forget for the rest of my life.
Tuesday 20th June
After yesterday needed a rest!
So it was another relaxing day by the pool with the mad Hotel Reps throwing water balloons at us! There is great entertainment in and around the pool the Hotel Reps do Water Aerobics and swimming races ect.
Saw the Sun Med Rep and got our Tourist leaving forms of her.
Had to start packing going home tomorrow, gosh that went quick!!!
Wednesday 21st June
Final day. Made sure I spent the last few hours by the pool soaking up that sun! Went up to change and gather our cases at 12, left cases in the baggage room and went for lunch then signed out, make sure you have everything in the envelope you are given on arrival when checking out. Taxi was picking us up at 1.30 in the Lobby, bang on time and off to the Airport. Tipped Taxi driver $5 this time.
When you get to the Airport…again… don’t put your bags down get a trolley and go and get your Tourist leaving form if your Rep hasn’t given you one before leaving Hotel, saves a lot of hassle later on.
Wait in Airport was 3 hours and got on flight bang on time and left bang on time.
Wear cool clothes for flight home it’s a must!
Was back in my house at 9 am Thursday 22nd June.
Round up of holiday
Very nice place will defiantly go again wish I had gone for 2 weeks.
Mozzies weren’t a problem I got bitten twice and I usually get eaten alive!!!
Take plenty of sun cream you really do need it.
Tomato sauce is a must to have, I am glad I took it
I took tea bags! Glad I did.
Didn’t go to the Seafood Restaurant as reading reviews before going suggested it was a bit bland, when we were there people did comment that they had been and it was bland, we are not fishy people but don’t let me put you off you may be lovers of all things fish!
Don’t forget your plug so you can charge phones cameras ect ( I packed the wrong one! )
Mobile phones…mine is Vodaphone but it changed to Orange!!! Couldn’t send picture messages just texts they cost 36p each text. It also needs to be tri-band.
If you want to phone home buy a phone card from the shop by the Reception it was $8 and you get an 8 min call, you then have to pay Reception 25 pesos for the connection charges.
Book and pay for trips before you go by ringing the Hotel yourself it saves a lot of hassle, I did this and it worked really well. Just had to pick up our tickets from the Rep then when we got there.
Pesos are better value for money, you get more.
Try to keep small notes in Dollars or Pesos for tips.
Any bits and pieces you don’t need to take home with you…leave for your maid e.g. shampoo, soap, conditioner ect I did leave her $1 a day tip as they clean your room every day and I left her a $5 tip when we left with all the bits and pieces.
If you are buying Amber real Amber sinks if it’s real!
Don’t forget to get you tourist cards/visas off your Rep the day before you leave it saves a lot of hassle when you get to the Airport, $20 to get out! I made sure I kept all my entry and leaving money separate so I knew I had the money safe.
You CAN get an extra room card key!!! Paull asked Angelo ( Thompson Rep ) because he tended to stay out later than me he was really nice and he got it sorted out. To have air conditioning on in room all day and to charge things through the day you really need to have an extra one otherwise you have to do all charging of phones cameras ect at night when you are asleep which was a pain until we got a second one. In the room there is a slot to put your card, when the card is out you don’t get any electric at all the card has to be in even for the lights.
If there is an Autobiography you fancy buying before you go on holiday buy it and save it for your holiday, what can be better than reading a good book by the pool soaking up the sun. I took a few magazines, more for on the plane really but they showed 2 films.
Take ear phones then you can get away without having to buy them on the plane, these cost £3 each, if your in a family of 4 this could mount up! You need them if you want to watch the films.
I think that’s about it!
Sorry if I have bored you.
Just want to thank the people who’s reviews I read before going, I found them very helpful especially the tips on tomato sauce and the cotton wool balls. It also prepared me to buy some gifts for the children at the school when we went on the Monster Truck Safari before I left the U K.
Also thanks to Debbie for making this site.
| Casa Marina Reef - Sosua | Sue and Barrie ~ Leeds, West Yorkshire |
We have just returned from 2 weeks fully inclusive at the Casa Marina Reef where our expectations were exceeded in every way!The holiday was the second cheapest in the brochure and was a real bargain. Our room was spotlessly clean and comfortable although the furnishings were quite basic but perfectly adequate. The food was very varied with an excellent choice of dishes which catered for every taste. The free beer was a tad on the weak side, but very cold and refreshing and there were many cocktails to be sampled.
The highlight of the holiday was provided by the entertainment team who worked exceptionally hard from morning till night on the pool and beach side games and the evening shows which were amazing. A particular mention to Romeo (who is the funniest clown of a character), who knows where he gets his energy from, and Billy blue eyes. Also look out for Clara, one of the bar attendants, and the children's entertainment team who were superb.
A mention too of the freebies eg. 1 hour snorkeling equipment hire every day, 1 hour windsurfing, 1 hour kayaking, 1 hour scuba instruction in the pool, free bikes, table tennis, bowls etc. etc.
All in all FANTASTIC - WE LOVED EVERY MINUTE. looking forward to returning someday.
| Casa Marina Reef - Sosua | David |
am an experienced traveller, Asia, Australia,Indonesia Europe and the Caribbean usually 3*plus accommodation. I am very surprised that there are so many good reviews about this Hotel.I stayed at the Casa Marina Reef, first two weeks in May 2006.I paid £2.800GBP for a family of 4.The room was dark and dungeon like, cracked tiles consistently through out as was the Cigarette burns even on the bed covers.I used mosquito deterrent excessively sprayed the room morning and night, still got some sort of bites, Bed Bugs?The room was a horrible damp smell the towels did not get changed till 4.30 afternoon they are shabby and dirty looking.Our bed sheets did not get changed till the day before we left.The house keepers could clean the room in 3 minuets,I timed them.I would like to point out that I did not complain to management about anything as they usually do not listen and you just get worked up for nothing,stay calm.
The Hotel food gave us all a dodgy stomach,I know it was the hotel because we did not eat anywhere else. One thing I noticed the boiled eggs at breakfast got used up at lunch time in the potato salad chopped into pieces ect.I just could not eat the Banana and Onions or the Beef Stew complete with bones.The cakes looked lovely but the same mixture for all with different toppings thank goodness for fruit.If you are going there I will leave you to work out the rest for yourselves.The staff are friendly especially when you are getting to the end of you holiday or if tipping as some people do. 70percent of the people were great but, my first encounter at the pool was a group of Pierced Tattooed Topless Ladies and there Indian inked partners, with a dirty looking plastic cup of lager in hand they had the usual forked tongue language as well.I know this is nothing to do with the hotel but it was a little embarrassing with a 14yr daughter.The kids air beds all went missing as did many of the other guests items.I was told that this was the Local Dominican Guests that pay a fraction of what we need to to pay, for their stay. I have read in the other reviews that there are many whiners out there,I would agree with this, but they have reason.
The nice things about here was the natural beauty,the Coconut Palms Banana Trees and the DEAD Coral Reef these things are all free and you dont need to pay £2.800GBP to find them.I feel I over paid for this holiday, if you are booking for this hotel,try and only pay around half or less what I paid for a family of four thats what it is worth.
I will return to Dom Rep but to a different Hotel the weather is very very hot watch your kids shoulders use sun block they will still tan through this.Over All Opinion about this complex if you live in a damp dingy council flat and are trying desperately to get out dont go to Casa Marina Reef it would be Home From Home Caribbean Style, defiantly and not paradise as advertised in some well known brochures.Happy Holidays!
| Casa Marina Reef - Sosua | Richard ~ UK |
We have just returned from a great Easter break at the Casa Marina Reef (11-26 April 2006). My husband, Richard, sons Connor (10) and Joe (8) and myself – Helen, all had a very relaxing time. Some of the reviews I’d read before going worried me slightly but everything was excellent – the staff, the food – even the doctor on the site – but more about that later. One super top tip would be to up-grade to premier seating (1st class) on the plane. It was well worth the extra money for the extra leg-room alone. We were also able to pre-book meals from a choice, had free drinks (soft and alcoholic), extra films, TV channels, plus a blanket and pillow. These might seem like simple things but it made for a much nicer flight. One super top tip would be to up-grade to premier seating (1st class) on the plane. It was well worth the extra money for the extra leg-room alone. We were also able to pre-book meals from a choice, had free drinks (soft and alcoholic), extra films, TV channels, plus a blanket and pillow. These might seem like simple things but it made for a much nicer flight.
The porters at the airport are quite ‘keen’ to help with your luggage. We were prepared for this and had the required $’s ready for them – unfortunately, we were only able to get quite large $ notes when we exchanged our money so the porters did very well out of us!!!
Check-in at the hotel was quite quick and we were provided with a non-alcoholic cocktail whilst we waited. We were taken to our room by the hotel porter (another tip) and then left to chill – literally as the air conditioning was fantastic. Our room was on the top floor No 2364 as we had requested a sea view when we booked. There was no weird smell or mouldy ceilings and everything was very clean and well presented. We had been provided with a map of the resort so after a shower and change we went exploring.
One thing that struck us straight away was the cleanliness of the grounds. The grass and plants were all beautifully manicured. Everyday a core of staff went around sweeping, pruning, watering and generally tidying the garden and pool areas. The pool itself was great – there are three altogether. The one on the reef side is where all the action/games take place so is quite lively – great for the children to find playmates. Lots of activities to take part in if you want to but no pressure if not. The pool towel system works well – don’t take any towels from home. You exchange your towel card (given when you check-in) for towels and then you can change your towel when required. At some times of day there was a shortage because they hadn’t come back from being washed – we waited and changed ours first thing in the morning so it wasn’t a problem.
The food was excellent. Breakfast had everything from continental, cereal, cooked to even a selection of salad. The fresh fruit at each meal had to be tasted to be believed – it was so fresh and juicy. Lunch could be taken at the main restaurants were there was a greater choice or at the Seafood or Mexican restaurants which served burgers, pizza, chips, chicken, salad, fruit and biscuits. Everything was ‘home-made’ – no Birds Eye burgers here!! Each evening there was a different theme at the 2 main restaurants – Dominican, Fish, German, American, Oriental, etc, etc. Plenty of choice and we certainly never went hungry. We weren’t as taken with the Al a Carte restaurants. The food was still of very good quality but when I have a Mexican meal I like a bit of heat and spice to it. The Italian was quite bland but the pizzas were excellent. The Fish restaurant was good but not much choice for the children. That said we went to the Mexican and Italian twice and the Fish only once. One top tip was to take your HP sauce with you – we did and weren’t the only ones but it made breakfast!!
As I said the Doctor – Dr Philamond – was excellent, he’s based on the Beach side of the resort so very easy to get to. Unfortunately we had the pleasure of his company for quite a lot of our holiday. On day 3 Connor developed an ear infection and on day 10 Joe did as well. The Dr told us it was due to the pool water – and I have to say that quite a few people we wearing ear-plugs/cotton wool in their ears. We nearly got an extra few days holiday as Connor’s infection wasn’t clearing up but (unfortunately) he was declared fit to fly – another few days would have been great, although I’m not sure I would have wanted to come home at all then!! Luckily we had great insurance and everything was dealt with via the Dr and them. So it might be prudent to be careful and use some cotton wool.
The only major problem with the ear infections was that we didn’t get to go on any trips as the one’s we were interested in were water-based. We did explore outside the resort although we didn’t particularly enjoy being harassed by the shop-keepers. We realise that they are trying to make a living but we would probably have spent more money if we had been left to look around by ourselves.
After spending the day lounging in the sun the best way to relax is to get a cocktail and head for the Jacuzzi’s built into the rocks near the beach. They are very cold but it is an excellent place to watch the sun set. Whilst we were there the sun went down at 7pm and then it was dark straight away.
Tipping the bar staff is well worth it. If there is a crowd waiting to be served, they kind of let you jump the queue without the others realising it. I also thought that the drinks were a lot stronger after a small tip. We found that there was nowhere to sit in the evening to meet other people or just sit and have a chat. There are plenty of sun-loungers but it’s not easy to chat lying down. Also whilst we were there we had a couple of evening storms and the only place to stay dry was standing hemmed in the side of the bars.
We had an excellent holiday and would certainly recommend it to anyone and would definitely go for a return visit. I have never felt so relaxed on a holiday before. Enjoy!!!!
| Casa Marina Reef - Sosua | Suzanne and Barry ~ London, England |
We are a family of four with a 15 and an 8 year old. we have never done "all inclusive" and were a bit apprehensive about feeling hemmed in - we needn't have worried, the resort is huge. we were discovering gardens on the forth day and we are real trekkers!! we didn't spot the disco till our second week.
the staff are a total credit to the place and the shows were the best I have seen off the west end, no kidding, and considering they have a full 12 different shows a fortnight the range is fantastic. if you see one then you will be back for more.
get a top floor room if you can. we started off on the ground floor, and we had no complaints, but having done some research we were aware the top floors are raved about so after the busy Easter weekend was over we asked for a swap and were rewarded with a whole new holiday - views over the palm trees and the pool. at this point the place went, in our opinion, from four star to five. beautiful.
we went on the horse riding trip. we couldn't decide which trip to take, but after a chat with some Canadians who had tried just about the lot, we plumbed for the horse riding and we were not disappointed. we got to see the DR the cars don't get to and were rewarded with spectacular views. we are not accomplished riders and our 8 year old had never been on a horse before, she loved every minute. one word of warning don't do this on the day before you go home as the jaccuzi's are what your backsides will need the next day!! oh and book through the hotel not the tour reps for a $15 per person saving!!!
best review on here is by Jill and Howard ~ Yorkshire, England April 2006. however, do take insect repellent and creams, both us grown-ups got a bite each even though we took and used the works. and there are two beaches with a beautiful, extensive sun terrace between, a walk from one end of the sea front to the other takes a lot longer than 4 minutes.
we loved ending an evening with a cocktail whilst lying on the terrace sun loungers gazing at countless more stars than we ever get to see in London. we even saw a couple of shooting stars and the night time view across to Peurto Plata is lovely.
Sosua is well worth venturing out of the hotel for. I am sure most never leave the hotel, but there is life outside. yes you will get asked to enter many of the shops you go past and you will be offered hair braiding countless times but a firm no thanks with a smile is all you need to arm yourself with!!! get down to the beach market and really enjoy yourself. have a go at the bartering, if the price isn't right you will not be forced into buying anything you don't want. go in and look around. as a family we were never unduly harassed and never once felt scared or threatened. and we would have missed out on some great souvenirs and presents had we not done so.
see the brochure and add a star, if we just had another week....
| Casa Marina Reef - Sosua | Sam & Mark ~ South Yorkshire UK |
After reading some of the reviews on your site, I was alittle apprehensive at going on holiday, however on arrival i was pleasantly surprised. The rooms were nice, clean and airy, no dodgy smells. the over all view of the outside was magnificent. We had a pool view which was a warm welcome in the morning, beautiful blue sky instead of dismal british weather to wake up to.
The food was much better than I had envisaged as my last experience of all inclusive was diabolical but in this hotel i was pleasantly surprised at what was on offer. Out of the 3 specialist restaraunts, I would say the fish one was the biggest let down with a poor menu but fantastic sea view. The only down side to this hotel is that there is no indoor bar area/lounge area which is annoying as when it rains there is no where to go and sit as all the bars are situated outside and the amphitheatre doesnt start its evening entertainment until 9.45pm therefore you are unable to get a drink or sit and socialise under cover should it rain, which it generally does nearly every day that we were there, only briefly i may add. Apart from that a good alll round all inclusive base for an excellent holiday which i would strongly recommend.
| Casa Marina Reef - Sosua | Jill and Howard ~ Yorkshire, England |
AIRPORT. On arrival the locals are after your money straight away with a demand for $10 dollars just for picking up your case and lifting it into the coach, keep hold of your case all the time, and a firm no should do the trick, and then its just a short ride to the hotel, but even so its a real eye opener as to the conditions that the locals live in, you would think some of the property they live in would be for donkeys or horses or similar, its such a poor country.
HOTEL On arrival greeted with welcome drinks, which was very welcome after a 9 hour flight, on booking in you are issued with a room key, 2 beach towel cards, and your tv remote, plus your vouchers to use in the 3 speciality resturants, and the obligatary wrist bands, the porters are standing by to whisk you away to your rooms. we paid extra for a safe key for the 2 weeks stay.
ROOMS The rooms are bright and airy and very clean, no musty smells whatsoever, as mentioned in other reviews, we found no problem with having no spare card to keep the air-conditioning going whilst you are out of the room, as it only took a couple of minutes for it to reduce the temp to nice and cool on entering your room
RESTAURANTS. We found all of the restaurants to be of a very high standard both in cleanliness, food variety and quality, BREAKFAST, if you like scrambled or fried eggs at breakfast dont get it from the food warming trays but go to the chef on duty at the kitchen end of the restaurant, who will cook it to order with a filling of your choice, nice and fresh (perfect) , LUNCH We used the seafood bar for our lunches because its right on the beach, the food here is the most basic of all the eating places, salad,chips, pizza ,burger etc but it is good enough to keep the hunger away,
EVENING MEAL. We always looked forward to our evening meal, we new that we would never be dissapionted, with plenty of choices to find something that suits your palate, again go to the chef on duty, who usually has a couple of choices of different meat joints to carve from. SPECIALITY RESTUARANTS. The ITALIAN restuarant is first class, food is of the highest quality cooked to perfection on plates that are too hot to touch, had 3 visits and had first class service and food every time. SEAFOOD RESTUARANT, The food here is average on choice and quality, no complaints but nothing to rave about, MEXICAN, The food was good but could have been warmer, plates and soup bowls were cold (how hard is it to serve soup that is HOT). a lesson to be learned from the Italian restuarant!!, VOUCHERS, Just a tip, if your party is split into seperate rooms, you will get a book of vouchers per couple per room, but you can book a table for 2 or 4 people on the one voucher, giving you extra visits to the one of your choice,
FACILITIES. ENOUGH CHOICE to keep you active if you so wish, free use of kayaks, snorkels, small surf boards, (motorised equipment at extra charge). scuba diving in the main swimming pool,organised beach and water sports if you so wish, and of course just swimming in the sea which is very warm.EVENING ENTERTAINMENT, The entertainment is very very good, tends to get repetative at the end of 2 weeks, I have been to a lot worse that I have paid for, they put every effort in to keep you entertained.
HEALTH. Dont bother taking any lotions or potions for yourself, or repelants for the room, against insect bites ,mossies etc, the complex is fumigated on a regular basis, just take basic first aid stuff, plasters for blisters, tablets for headaches,sunstroke etc, tea tree oil is a good stand by as a disinfectant, take plenty of suncreams, waterproof a must, and plenty of after suncreams, even if on your first day the sky is overcast, cream yourself all over, tips of your ears, nose, top of head,and feet, as the sun takes no prisoners, food is no problem so no need for stomach remedies.
STAFF The staff are all 1st class, from the houskeeping, restuarant, entertainment, gardeners, pool cleaners, glass collectors,etc, THEY CANT DO ENOUGH FOR YOU, budget your expenses for tips,etc, especially the young boy who collects the glasses on the beach, he must walk miles every day keeping the beach tidy. TOP TIP, take insulated mugs or tall beakers to put your iced drinks in, keeps cool longer on the beach and fill up with rum and coke and take back to your room at the end of the day, drinking water is available all over the site,
TRIPS, Had 2 trips, BOTH EXCELLENT. OCEAN WORLD, swimming with the dolphins is a must. PARADISE ISLAND, the coach trip to the speed boat site takes 3 hours, BUT IT GIVES YOU A GOOD INSITE AS TO HOW THE DOM REP LIVE, The half hour speed boat ride is fantastic through the mangrove swamps and out to sea to the coral island which is about 200yds long by 50 yds wide, but the snorkeling is out of this world.
SUMMING UP. Would we go again, YES, but there are other places in the world to see. We are in our late 50s and we like to take a walk along the sea front on an evening,and here there isn't one. The size of the beach could be bigger, you can walk from one end to the other in 4 minutes.
RECOMMENDATIONS, Would we recommend this hotel to others YES, especially if all you want to do is eat, drink, and sunbathe. if you are thinking of booking, JUST DO IT, if you have already booked, dont worry YOU WILL HAVE A FANTASTIC TIME, HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY!!!!! FROM J & F
| Casa Marina Reef - Sosua | Bob ~ Massachusetts, USA |
Hi. Just back from my third overall visit to DR and first to Casa Marina. I ventured there because of the affordability in the package put together for me and for the fact the one can stroll into town or the very nice public beach. Food was very good with several different venues not including the reservation only ones. Good sized resort, multiple pools, 2 different beaches, room was fine, good A/C, housekeeping, cable tv. There are no umbrellas either at the pool or at beach and the beaches are always in direct sunlight so make sure you have a hat. There are limited shade spots both at the pools and the main beach has very limited palm trees. I didn't attend any of the shows or the disco but I believe they were well attended. Previous suggestions I read here about bringing bug spray, flashlight were well intended but not imperative after having brought both. I had a wonderful baked stuff lobster meal (extra charge) at the fish rest. and an out of this world massage at the hotel in house spa. The sun sets every night right off the center of this resort- fabulous.
Directly across from the front desk is a school area and large baseball diamond which gets much use. Even if you are not the adventurous type it takes no effort after a day at the pool or after dinner to stroll out to the fence with drink in hand and perhaps get to mingle with some locals while watching baseball. This resort, because of where it is situated, is the exact opposite of going to Punta Cana. Punta Cana is extremely nice and has a gorgeous beach but there is nothing to do, nowhere to go if you want to get off the reservation sort of speak. Sosua is not the Paris of the Caribbean by any stretch but you feel as if you are in a foreign land. Sosua would be a great choice for first time visitors to the DR in my opinion. Some of the vendors will hound you a little but nobody is impolite. Also, right out the front door are numerous internet/public phone operations which are cheap and simple to use.
I ventured to the Playa Grande golf resort which is an hour's drive from Sosua. I hired a taxi for the day. Negotiate and you should get one for $ 60-80 US. The road is absolutely horrific in spots from Caberete to Rio San Juan so wouldn't recommend renting a car ($50 per day). You will not show up for your tee time calm and rested and probably will have fixed a flat or two along the way. Put some money into a local's pocket and get a driver. You have him for the whole day. This course is out of this world beautiful but very difficult. If you are not an 18 or so handicap you are going to shoot 130+ and lose 18 balls. It takes some effort to get there but well worth it if you are a serious golfer. I have not played Pebble Beach but have been told by those who have played both Pebble & Playa Grande that Playa Grande actually has more holes abutting the ocean. Enjoy.
| Casa Marina Reef - Sosua | James |