Having just returned from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Plata, this is one holiday tat I would strongly not recommend. I have been to many locations all over the world and this by far is one of the worst. This is the following problems I encountered. Firstly the brochure states there are many things to do and see when there is not at all much. We drove in most directions for over tow hours and all we kept coming across was run down roads, very few shops (all selling the same things - nothing any good), and people all trying to entice to taking a ride with them beware of taxi driers one tried to charge us 700 pesos for a ride that should cost 100 peso.

One word of advice AVIOD "FREDDYS TOURS", CAMINO DEL SOL STREET NO.1, CABARETE. I paid over $120US for a white-water rafting trip and all I got was a 7 hour drive and less than one hour on water, when we were promised a minimum of "4 and a half hours". When I went the next day to complain all they said was sorry and before I left there was another American couple who paid for a tour that did not even end up turning up. We saw this couple the following evening as they were staying at the same resort and they mentioned they go no refund and no tour, and were very angry. There is one outside the Pariso Del Sol hotel on your left and one on your right, they are both owned by the same people and are RIPOFF'S. The one on you left has two boys there and both speak good English, there names are "******** and ************" AVIOD these SCAMSTERS, there charm is only there until they have your money.

my partner and I went to this hotel last October and we had a great time.
The staff were very friendly and our maid Anna could not do enough for us.
WE WENT KNOWING THAT THIS WAS A VERY POOR COUNTRY. These folks earn in a month what we would take home in a week.

We went to peurto plato in a taxi it cost us all of £5.00 the driver stayed with the whole day.He took us to all the local places of interest,he even found us a lovley seafood place where you could pick your own lobster,we then carried on to the amber museum which by the way is a great place to visit it is very well done and the shop at the end is just great. We left in the morning at nine and returned about4.30

After reading numerous reviews we almost cancelled our March break trip (2007). We decided it could not be as bad as people wrote so we went. We were greeted at the hotel by a 4 member band playing lively music and offered fruit punch drinks right away before even checking in. All the rooms paperwork for the group was lined up on a separate table to get us checked in very quickly. Our room was extremely clean and the A/C worked. The TV only initially had one clear channel but my 10 year old son soon read a little of the instructions ( in Spanish) on how to program the box and we had maybe 40 channels to watch ( not that TV was any priority). There are three pools on the property, all cleaned daily and kept very clean. People did have a bad habit of placing pool towels on chairs and not ever using them. As for towels, I would recommend you bring a couple of your own. They have lots but give you one per person and you have to return them to get new ones. The supper menu had a different theme every night but some parts got a little monotonous.

However, my daughter and son each found something they liked every meal.

The staff are exceptionally friendly and very helpful. They worked long days and did it with a smile. My kids for bouncing around a soccer ball and before you knew it, the staff got together with other guests and a game was had. Each night a cheesy show was put on but it was in good fun. The beach is windy but fun to play in. Where else can you walk for three KM's on a lovely beach and never run into another person. We met a great couple from Scotland staying here and they had a fishing rod and fished in a nearby river. The locals were interested in what they had, even telling where the best spot to fish was. Many, many Germans come to the resort. They did not seem to notice that 10 others were already waiting at the pool bar to get a drink and for lack of a better term, demand immediate service :-( I did see people spraying rooms for bugs a couple of times but never saw any ourselves. We keep food out of the room so as to not attract any unwelcome guests ;-) . Our towels were changed daily and we asked for and were given four every day. May have helped that we left $2 US + a pack of Skittles + Juicy Fruit gum for the maid every day that we bought in Canada. Candy is ridiculously expensive in DR. We felt very safe at all times in DR. We took a "Freddy's Horseback Tour" which lasted the full two hours. Saddles were in rough shape but the estimated 16 KM round trip with most of it on the beach was lots of fun. We brought a full luggage of gently used clothes + another of running shoes. We also bought lots of new pens and pencils to give away. Offered in small parcels to the staff and each time they asked for a note indicating we were giving it to them. All staff members were consistent with this. Shoes were the bigger hit and I think offering them to some of the beach vendors or locals in Cabarette may have made a bigger impact. For a 3 Star hotel we got our monies worth.

My husband owns a villa and we come there every year. We were just there in January 2007 for two weeks. We had a wonderful time. It did rain on and off. The staff was wonderful. We usually ate at the restaurant Michael Angelo's which the head waiter was wonderful as well as the staff. The only problem that we encountered is that the alcohol was watered down. (especially the vodka). You need to get more americans there. I think that they would enjoy the area. The rooms were always clean and if you needed anything, the housekeeping would make sure that you got what you needed. Josephina is an excellent housekeeping director. The staff at the desk were always polite and very helpful.

just to let a few people know ,returned to this resort and spent a week over new year , having been there once before three years ago at same time of year .

I have just returned from a week at the Paraiso Del Sol, Cabarette, Dominican Republic. I travelled with my daughter for a 'chill out' week. We got just that, the hotel is a bus/taxi ride from the centre of Cabarette and there is nothing to do in the area outside the hotel. This hotel is no frills, low budget everything. Bedroom furniture is very old and dusty. Air conditioning hit and miss. Some rooms had to be fumigated during our stay due to large spiders and cockroaches.
Food is very repetitive, what you dont eat at breakfast, you will get at lunch and/or dinner. And you will discover how many different ways there are to serve bananas!

You will need to take tablets for 'the runs' - everyone needed them. Only one bar open at night and sometimes only one bar person, expect to wait 20 mintues at busy times to get served. This hotel could never cope if it was full to capacity. Cocktails/spirits poor quality. No such thing as a large beer and you cannot get drunk - try having a beer elsewhere and discover the difference in strength!

My wife and 2 friends just came back from the Paradiso del Sol resort/hotel and we had a great time. I made the mistake of booking a vacation and then reading the reviews, but everything worked out just fine. The reviews i read on this resort were horrible, but almost everything commented on was no where to be found at the resort. Rooms were nice, air conditioner worked very well and the staff was great. The food was repetitive, but okay, especially for the price. Everything looked clean and well maintained.

We have just come back from Paraiso Del Sol in Cabarete after spending the best 2 weeks holiday we have had in ages.

We had already booked the holiday before reading the reviews, we were in such a state of panic we were going to cancel but as we had booked a late deal we could not request a refund. We arrived at the airport and as mentioned in previous reviews 'don't let the men help you with your bags' a man grabbed one of the bags when we were at the front of the bus and threw it onto the bus, this cost us £2 for 5 seconds of carrying. Apart from that everything was smooth. Driving to the hotel it seems that you have arrived in your worse nightmare - taking into consideration the reviews we had read just days before. Once arriving at the hotel the staff were nice and we had checked in in around 3 mins. The room was clean and tidy with 2 double beds and air con, which aided a very good 12 hour sleep. We toured the hotel the next day after a very good breakfast, there were maids and pool cleaners everywhere and the gardens were lovely. Lunch was great and dinner was also good, don't get me wrong we become a bit sick of rice and omelettes after a while so the al la carte restraunt is great for a change. To cut a long story, we had a brilliant holiday and there was nothing to be worried about. If you are asked to buy something on the beach just say no and they will go away. The only thing i would say needs updating are the sun lounge's as they have become saggy after so many people. The people are friendly but watch the bar men at the main pool, they seem to serve selected people unless you really shout them or are female. We met some great people and had a really relaxing holiday, it was just what we needed. Be warned through, Paradise Island can become very busy and there is NO shade what so ever, the white water rafting is an amazing day...even after the 4 hour bus journey....

There's a hotel in my hometown that used to be called The Alpine years ago. People in my city went there to buy drugs or get beat up.

When my wife and I arrived at the Paraiso Del Sol that first night, late, the only ones off the bus, for our belated honeymoon, all I could think was, 'We're living in The Alpine Hotel for a week, and it's raining, and we can't leave.'

The bellboy who showed us up to our first room was very helpful. He stood guard by my bags at the top of the second flight of stairs when Kim dropped one of hers and it bumped back down. He was also very helpful in demonstrating how not to lock the patio door, how not to turn on the air conditioner, and the futility of trying to use the phone. I returned the favour by demonstrating how not to tip and gave him a brief English lesson using only slang and hand gestures. He seemed most appreciative.

The staff, to give them credit, speak English quite well if you pay them. At least substantially better than the few English speaking guests we encountered. Those we did meet must have won their vacations in a mental health lottery where ticket sales were restricted to people with substance abuse difficulties or chemical imbalances. Their spending money, sadly, was apparently supplemented by funds otherwise targeted toward theirs medications.

I've always thought The Dominican Republic was a bit behind Canada enconomically until this trip I realised they have had dollar stores for at least 30 years, or before the Paraiso was built, because every lock, light fixture, shower head and patio chair was bought for less money than a plastic necklace from a beach vendor. Maybe that's where they got them. Peso stores.

The towels were nice though. There were two from The Bahia Principe, one from The Casa Marina Reef, and another I couldn't read even when holding it up to the unlockable patio door because it was too transparent. I can imagine the staff rifling other hotel's dumpsters to acquire them. They weren't just worn, they were eroded by the constant stream of water squirting over the shower curtain from the aforementioned shower head.

In retrospect, the inability of the air conditioner to condition was rendered moot by the cool weather. So I'm not complaining. Go when its cold so as not to be disappointed.

We came to fondly call our two beds 'the foothills' and 'the valley'. We'd switch from one to another each night to distribute the pain throughout our bodies.

When we lost our key, (my fault), the problem was quickly solved by staff who suggested, "Leave your patio door unlocked." We never did get another key but were able to bribe the security guard or the maid daily to either let us in or watch our door. No problem.

In the unlikely event that you have some complaint, just use the phone to contact the front desk. Try as I may, I was unable to throw it that far even though our second room was closer than our first. Kim had much more luck with the telephone since she was merely throwing it at me.

To their credit, The Paraiso uses only purified water to dilute their alcohol. A lot of it. Every drink I had was 3/4's rum and it still took a supreme effort to get inebriated. Many other English speaking guests somehow managed to overcome this barrier, but you must remember, they were without their Lithium.

Purified water IS plentiful and available. At the store. Or you can take your own containers to the restaurant at mealtimes and only at mealtimes and fill them from the dispenser which was supposed to be purified. You can't miss it. It's between the Tang orange drink dispenser and the Tang pineapple drink dispenser.

The one a la carte restaurant reminded me of a garage we used to rent in high school for band practice. It has an Italian flag on the wall in case the food requires a hint as to it's origin. The red house wine is a perfect blend of Welch's and rum. The colour is very convincing.

We always took the long route to the beach. Not for exercise but to avoid the septic system leak outside building #5 where we first resided. I tried the short way once by myself but couldn't hold my breath that long.

We went to the buffet once on the Camino side, a lower rated resort, for dinner, and treated ourselves to pizza which wasn't available across the road at the Paraiso. There are two versions. The one that looks like cardboard is plain and the one that looks like cardboard with a small slice of green pepper is deluxe. Their other offerings were less identifiable/appetizing. They don't have signs above their dishes in various languages telling you what they are because I really don't think the staff knows. The only lineup at this buffet was for alcohol. I just stayed there and drank because Kim couldn't throw the pizza that far.

We had one really good day where we left the hotel and went to the Occidental Allegro Playa Grande in Rio San Juan. It was my second and not opted for choice of resorts. Only $70 for the cab and another $120 for the golf and cart and caddy. $200US was cheap to get away. We had to sneak through the hotel with our bracelets in our pockets so we could get to the steps that led down to the incredible beach surrounded by the magnificent golf course on the cliffs above. I was really lucky that we had one hand jammed in our pockets because Kim was only able to hit me with the other as she saw what we had missed. She later confided to her lawyer that the 5 hours I was away golfing made the whole trip worthwhile.

I really thought that all was well when, on the flight home, we were lucky enough to get seats by the exit door giving us a foot of extra legroom. I even thought Kim had forgiven me and wanted to snuggle when she reached over and I realised she had listened intently, as I had not, when the stewardess explained how to activate the thing.

Anyway, it's so nice to be home and sit on my own toilet . . . constantly for the last two weeks. I do everything here now including writing this review. It's just me, home care, and my parasites. Kim doesn't take posession until the end of the month, so there's no hurry.

Admittedly, the trip was not expensive, but once you calculate alimony, the loss of your priciple residence, lawyers and time off work on the throne, there are irreconcilable differences in the price of another resort. Any other resort. They should change their name to LAST.

We arrived on Jan. 17. We had our bags taken up to our room and unpacked. I went to turn on the hot water tap in the sink and nothing came out. Both the tub and sink plugs would not hold water. We had to hold the showerhead by hand to prevent water from splashing on the floor, and the air-conditioning wasn’t working properly.

I brought the above problems to the attention of the front desk. He radioed someone right away and I thought great service! Someone came up to the room checked the air-conditioning and said “normal”. I showed him the sink and shower problem, he looked at it then left. It was 10:30 p.m. so I thought someone would be in to repair it in the morning.

The next day no one showed so I went to the front desk and asked if we could change rooms. He asked why, to which I began to explain the disrepair with the plumbing and air-conditioner. He called someone right away and said they would check it. Someone arrived at about.10:00 p.m. that night. He got the hot water faucet to work by turning the valve on from beneath the sink. In order to run the hot water I would have to turn it on and off using the valve beneath the sink. He put his hand on the conditioner vent then left.

I had a shower and as I was stepping out water dripped on me from the ceiling. I hoped it was coming from the shower above and not the toilet. The dripping ceiling would occur daily for a period in the morning and at night. The sink was also dripping from beneath when the hot water was turned on. The next day I requested a room change from the front desk. Once again he asked why and I explained the problems we were having. He immediately called someone. By this time I wasn’t expecting much. In the end nothing was repaired and I stopped complaining about it. We just wanted to get on with our vacation.

There was only one bar open in the evening and it was always a long wait to get a drink. I had a glass of rum straight up and it was badly watered down. In the evening there were two buffet restaurants to eat at. They only served wine at the one restaurant and there was always a line up there. In the morning you could only have toast at the one buffet, the other one didn’t have a toaster.

I cut my finger on some glass one night and went to the front desk for a band-aid. He told me I could buy some at the store. I would have thought they would have a least had a basic first aid kit. A first aid kit would not be a huge expense but would go a long way for customer service.

On a couple occasions I had asked the front desk if they could give me change for 50 pesos. They said no and pointed to the store that was closed. Now some of this may sound petty but the point I’m trying to get across is that the customer service sucked big time. If someone at the front desk would have smiled I’m sure his or her face would have cracked.

The general appearance of the room was ok and room service was fine. The one improvement they could make would be exchanging the towels when they clean the rooms rather then, collecting the towels in the morning and returning the towels in the late afternoon. We would have to hide a towel so we had something to use in the meantime. If you want a face cloth bring your own because they don’t provide them. You may want to bring your own pillows. Their pillows have worn down to little balls of fibre.

The gardens and grounds were well manicured and kept clean. There were far more mosquitoes on this visit then there was on our last visit to the resort in 2002. This was a huge problem for me because some of the bites were getting infected. The mosquitoes were very hard to avoid and they were everywhere!

My general impression was that the staff didn’t seem happy. Now there were some shining stars like Jesus who would always greet us with a big smile, seat us and bring us a drink. This guy should be put in charge of staff training for customer service.

I thought the food was ok but was pretty much the same every day. After two weeks it was getting tiresome. If they had had more variety this would have made a huge difference. They would remove the coffee pot at about 10:30 a.m. until about noon. So you could have a beer or drink but not a coffee. It’s little things like this that they could improve on without a lot of expense. One night they ran out of wine at 8:45 p.m. They should have served wine at both locations. I’m sure this would have eliminated the line-up in the one buffet that was serving wine.

I had spoken with other guests that told me they did not have any of the plumbing problems we did. All guests I spoke with were very unhappy with customer service issues and said they would not return. As I mentioned earlier we did stay at the resort in 2002. My final impression is that the resort is in deep decline and I wouldn’t be surprised if it went into bankruptcy.

In spite of some of the problems with the resort we still had a good time on the island. We hope to return again next year but will not be revisiting Paraiso del Sol. For me the mosquitoes were the final straw.

We are from Northern Ireland and booked our holiday through teletext and stayed at the Parasio del Sol hotel from 22nd june-6th July 2005 for £700 including insurance, meal on flight and transfers from airport to hotel. When we arrived at the airport we were surprised at the men wanting to carry our bags. Don not let them. They want tips. Our first room in the hotel overlooked what can only be described as a swamp, so we asked to be moved to a room with a pool view, which we were and this was much better. The rooms are nice and comfortable and the cleaners work hard. The air con continually broke down though, which was quite annoying when temps were over 100degrees. The humidity is immense by the way.

With regards to entertainment, there isn’t much. But the pool is big and you can lie there or at the nearby beach. At the beach you will be bugged by men trying to sell necklaces and trips. Just firmly say no and they will go away. The walk along the beach will take 1 hr to cabarete. Here there is a bigger beach and some shops, but again you will constantly be annoyed to go into shops and look.

We went on 2 trips. One to Paradise Island which was really good, although it took 4 hrs (no exaggeration} to get there. The island is gorgeous. You are taken out on a speedboat and then given the opportunity to snorkel. The fish are amazing. You then receive fruit and drinks. After the island, the included lunch is great, but another 4 hrs to get back to the hotel.

The 2nd trip- Ocean World Adventure Park, not to be missed. We bought a general admin ticket for £30 and wished we had have put the extra to it to swim with the dolphins or at least had the sea lion encounter but a great day even if you are just watching.

Both trips booked through Freddy’s tours, much cheaper and exactly the same tour your rep will offer at half the price.

Back to the hotel- most reception staff are friendly and helpful. Food ok, though the same food re-hashed on our 2nd week. Entertainment at night fair. We didn’t venture out of our resort at night, as we thought it may be unsafe.

I've just recently returned from the Paraiso Del sol in Cabarete Dominican Republic and after reading some of the reviews of this hotel on your site I thought I'd pass comment on my holiday.

we have just returned from our two week holiday from hell!!!!

after booking a holiday in the Craibean we we excited and looking forward to a nice, relaxing holiday in the sun. How wrong can you be! We arrived at the Praiso Del Sol and were greeted by helpful staff and were taken to our room. The room was nicely furnished and clean, so far so good! The first couple of days were going ok, the food was a little bland and as long as you like eggplant, mashed banana and black bean stew it was fantastic! On the Friday of our first week we were greeted by LOTS of Dominican locals - aparantly they can pay to use the hotel at weekends (which we didn`t know but hey - live & let live). This turned the tables slightly when you can`t use the toilets as they were constantly blocked, you can`t go into the pool as they have taken it over and were drinking in it (depite being told by staff not to). The final straw was seeing chldren urinating in the pool and at the side of my sunbed! They certainly know how to enjoy themselves and spoil it for others! To say they can eat is an understatement!!!!!

The so called curtesy bus (provided by the hotel) is a joke! We (along with 20 others) waited at reception for the bus to turn up at 9:00 am (Dominican time of course - 9:55 am) to be dropped off in Cabarette for a "taste of the local area", this took all of 10 minues to look at the 3 shops and 1 ice-cream parlour!! We were told we would be picked up by the bus at 11:15am (Dominican time again), after waiting in the hot sun for around one hour 3 couples decided to flag down taxi`s. After another hour we (our party of 5 - including a 7 year old child) were the only ones left, because we didn`t take alot of money with us and what we had we spent on souveniers, expensive ice-cream and the local begging children we didn`t have any money left. At 1:15pm we had no alternative to take the "attractive walk along the beach" - so the rep said. So in 34 degree sunshine with no refreshment or shade with a child we took on the arduous 1 hour and 15 minutes slog along a hot sandy beach back to the hotel. Upon returning to the hotel we asked reception "what the hell happened to the bus" and we were told "we decided to cancel it Sir, can I get you anything" - our response was not printable!!!!

To say we would NEVER return to this hotel is putting it mildly. We transferred to a lovely area & hotel in Palaya Dorada after a 3 hour fight with Cat, our Airtours rep. Thankfully this saved our holiday or it would have been a complete disaster, if you would like value for money, relaxation, good food, good wine, good fun and excellent (or at least some) facilities DO NOT GO TO THE PARAISO DEL SOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We booked a last minute allocation on arrival for an all inclusive sun break. We are widely travelled including to third world countries. We always exercise the usual caution with regards to drinking water and the type of food to eat and we have never had any problems until now.

We knew the holiday was snot going to be good when we did not receive a good welcome, no staff seem to want to speak English or help us upon arrival. The room was ok and quite spacious but full of bugs. The maids frequently left the room door open which was an invitation to thieves.

The food was always thesame and leftovers from the meal before were made into another dish for the following day. Hygiene in the restaurant and the whole site was appalling. Birds were pecking at the buffet food. Waiters carried food from one part of the complex to the other and it was uncovered and being pecked by birds on the way. the restaurant was dark and people were allowed to smoke in the small area that was non smoking.

The worst thing was the drinks, the cups were not washed properly between clients they were just swilled in dirty water. Infection was rife on the site. The drinks appeared to be watered down and many people including myself suspected they were using tap water to do this.

Sun beds were hard to find and it was not the ******* knicking them there just were not enough. There was little to do and the animation team were not very energetic. No ice creams to cool you down.

The air condition was turned off on day three of our stay and nobody knew why or when it would come back on. Hot water was also in short supply and when you have violent runs etc you need to keep showering down.

We ate in the Italian restaurant one night and so did 10 other people that we came to know and all of us ended up on a drip and suffered with the runs and vomiting. it was not just that restaurant though because we came to know that a minimum of 40 people were on drips at that time and many had not eaten in the Italian.

My husband spent his birthday linked up to a drip attache to a nail in the wall and the GP told me I had to take it out when it had finished and she would return that night to put a new one up. With a high fever and the runs etc we would take it no more and asked for a flight home urgently. We were then moved to another hotel - much nicer and cleaner but we could not enjoy it because we remained ill ost of the time and infact two weeks later we are still being treated for damaged bowel and stomach linings.

To sum up, if you are not widely travelled and you are like a lager lout and enjoy skegness for a holiday you may like this holiday if not ensure you book a 4 star minimum named hotel and then you will enjoy the Dominican Republic as they have some nice trips on offer. Ocean World Adventure Park is an expensive day out but well worth it and so is the monster truck.

This is the worst resort I've ever stayed at. We knew it was going to be bad when we arrived at the end of February and were "greeted" not by a welcoming staff member but a lineup of angry guests in the lobby trying to find out why there was no air conditioning, hot water and in some cases no electricity in their rooms. It took more than an hour to check in. When we were finally shown to our room, it was a cabin and not the superior room with a balcony and a view for which we had paid a premium. It took more than a day to get the room we had paid extra for, and the staff was far from apologetic. When we complained, they offered us a $3 bottle of rum. The food was weird and gross- one night there was tripe stew! Thank goodness they at least had pizza, which we ate every day for lunch and supper because it was the only thing that looked safe to ingest. We both got sick anyways with exploding diarrhea.

The air conditioning was shut off every morning at 7 a.m. That was about the time we were roused daily by hotel maids who wanted to clean our room - we'd ask them to come back later, but they didn't lock the door behind them. One morning a stranger barged into our room thinking it was his. We asked for a "do not disturb" sign but it was never delivered. The levels of hygiene and safety at this place are abysmal. Bar cups are dipped in cold water then reused. (Resort staff collect the dirty cups from the beach where stray dogs roam and poop, but the cups aren't even washed in hot water, never mind sterilized in a dishwasher).The roof of a beach hut blew off and injured a boy beside us, but hotel staff didn't bother checking the other huts out to make sure the timbers were sound. Sure enough, two other huts lost their roofs in the wind the week we were there. This is less than a three-star hotel. If you go, make sure you have your hepatitis shots. Oh yeah, take a can of mosquito repellant. I live in Winnipeg, the mosquito capital of the world, but this place could sure give us a run for the money.

My husband and I just got back home tonight from Paraiso del Sol . The resort was only a three star at best. This was not a problem for us as we knew that it was a three star in most books. This was our 5th time in the D.R. New Years we were at PUNTA CANA but this was a first for a three star.

Arrival- all was fine for the check in. There was only the two of us.

Rooms- they were clean when we arrived and were ok for the rest of the time. The housekeeping staff did not have a key and kept telling us to leave the door open. We did a couple of times because she was going to do our room next. We mention it to the front desk a couple of time too. Than one day we asked about horseback riding and the manager was talking to this couple who had her glasses from the doctor stolen. She was not very helpful toward this couple and once I talked to them she had told me it was three days ago and still is having trouble filing a report with the police. We informed the manager about our key and she told us it was lost and they replace the lock with a new one but have not got another key yet. Ok that sounds a bit strange to us. They know they need two keys per room and only got one. The lock, my husband inspect it and it was not any where near new. We give her the key and she had it for a few hours. We wake up the next morning and the housekeeping is asking us to leave the door open. We tell her again and they call housekeeping about the key. Friday they finally have the key and we saw her opening our door, but we were inside our room still. We were leaving the next day that is how long it took. 5 days. Now we fine out someone stole our cell phone from the hotel.

Beach-The beach clean ok the water has high waves with strong undertows and current. They knock you down when you are going into the water most times. My husband enjoy playing in it. Bring floating tubes or boogie broads.

Venders on the beach- same as anywhere you go, bring them a banana and a mix drink and they might drop the price a bit.

Food- I did not come to D.R. to eat because the food is crappy. We did not get sick and we had one day where the food was excellent. The other days were ok. They did not have a big selection at all. But still eat three meals a day.

Bars- Very disappointed in them. Everyday they would run out of booze, bananas, juices etc... it was always something. I am not a bigger drinker and I am very picky about what I will drink. A lot of days it was just water all day and night. They did not clean the glasses good.

Water sports- there is none in Cabarete for free. They said it is the book but once you are there they tell you not now. The beach at the resort has boogie broads you can use, he will try to get you to pay at fist like they did to us but my husband would not, he gave in and told him it was included. Every time my husband went to the pool to play volleyball no one was play but, the entertainment area said they were suppose to be playing. He played soccer once and had a great time. Horseback riding- we had a hard time getting our free horseback riding. After speacking to the manager she set it up for us. The guy that took us was a jerk and told us we were not allow anywhere except the closed in ranch. My husband had talk to someone and they said they paid 13 us. My hausband offer him 10 than 13 and he said yes to it. He said one extra hour for 13 each. We had a great time, we were on the beach the most. The couple we went with realize he paid to much and he did not give back any change. The guy that took us out here told us we owed him money because we were gone for two hours AND DEMANED MORE MONEY. I told him no, it was up to the tour guide to watch the time since we were following him. He gave the other couple the money back but all the way back to the resort he was trying to argue with us. I told him, I am not going to fight, that I was on vacation.

Entertainment we enjoyed most of the entertainment, they work very hard. The dancing was great.. activities Every time my husband went to the pool to play volleyball no one was there to play but, the entertainment area said they were suppose to be playing. He played soccer once and had a great time. We took dance lesson and really liked it, they said next day come back, we did no lessons but it said there was on the board.

other stuff this is only a three star there is not all the little extras paper, shampoo, iron.... in your room. They do have blow dryers, if you need them, bring your own because there is not many. massages... we each had one and it was enjoyable, now these guys like it when you bring them a drink. We only paid 15.00 us a person, you can get that price down the street and we would not go lower. Very nice women.

ending we made the best out of we only paid 438.00 before tax so we can not complain that much. I talked to a few people and they said it was different before. There was a lot of stuff the was not in use or service from before. Old signs and info has not been change to the way it is run now. There is no Disco anymore, the drinks signs up on all the walls of the bars they do not make, info about shuttles they give is not available any longer and the world pool doesn't work.

Dear Debbie,
Myself and my two friends, Vicky and Kirsty (better known to the Animation Team at Paraiso Del Sol as Julian, Bicky and Kristina Aguilera or SCOTLAND) stayed at the Paraiso Del Sol at the beginning of September for 2 weeks. I have to admit that reading the negative reviews of some of the other holidaymakers was quite surprising as we really didnt have any complaints at all about the holiday. To be honest, we were pleasantly surprised at how gorgeous and well kept the Paraiso Del Sol apartments were and the friendliness of all the staff at the complex.

We arrived there not knowing quite what to expect and we were shocked when we stepped out of the airport and were blasted by the heat and humidity (girls, I do recommend masses of Frizz Ease if you go there). That was a minor setback and I was quite worried about how we would actually sleep in heat like that, however, after the porter kindly took our luggage to our room, we were surprised at the effectiveness of the air conditioning. To be honest, there were a couple of nights we woke up freezing but that is certainly not a complaint, especially with the sunburn heat coming off our bodies. We also had cable TV in the room which does come in handy when you maybe overdid the sun slightly (which is quite possible in that heat) and can't quite bring yourself to venture out for a night out of cocktail drinking.

The room was constantly kept immaculate and our maid even made fans with our towels and pyjamas everyday. I was even shocked when I walked into the bathroom and she had gone to the effort of making fans with the toilet rolls and sprinkled rose petals about.

I might agree that the food was a bit monotonous but that could have had a lot to do with the fact that we were not adventurous enough to eat any of the meat dishes. They always had a wide selection on the buffet including about 5 different kinds of pizzas, pasta dishes, hot dogs and hamburgers, cold meats and cheeses and salads, rolls, hot veggie dishes and hot meat dishes and delicious looking puddings. We may not have made the most of the All Inclusive food but we certainly made up for it with the all inclusive drink. The Pina Coladas are so refreshing and the Presidente local beer will be missed also. We perhaps overdid the alcohol slightly on the first week but managed to indulge in a few the second week. We were not limited to stay in the complex every night as the Animation team took us into Sosua on a couple of occassions and we ventured into a club in Cabarete most nights too which was actually quite good.

The entertainment from the Animation team did get a little repetative by the end of the holiday but I've got to hand it to them, they certainly have a lot of energy. They are just constantly on the go and are great with the kids and the Seniors. We did get called 'Lazy' on a couple of occassions but our idea of holiday is, use up energy at night and rest through the day lying at the pool. No hard feelings to them though, I guess they were only trying to do their jobs. Spaghetti was definitely one who wont be forgotten though, he was hilarious.