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3.0
#9 of 10 resorts in Puerto Plata
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Value
Finding an ideal family-friendly resort in Puerto Plata does not have to be difficult. Welcome to Puerto Plata Village, a nice option for travellers like you.
Puerto Plata Village Hotel is a family-friendly resort offering air conditioning in the rooms, and it is easy to stay connected during your stay as free internet access is offered to guests.
The resort features a concierge. Plus, guests can enjoy a pool and free breakfast, which have made this a popular choice among travellers visiting Puerto Plata. For guests with a vehicle, free parking is available.
During your visit, be sure to check out one of Puerto Plata's popular lobster restaurants such as Le Petit Francois, Lucia, and La Tarappa Italian Restaurant Pizzeria, all a short distance from Puerto Plata Village.
During your visit, be sure to check out Malecon Puerto Plata (1.4 km), which is a popular attraction within walking distance of the resort.
Puerto Plata Village puts the best of Puerto Plata at your fingertips, making your stay both relaxing and enjoyable.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Budget
Family Resort
Location
Playa Dorada Complex, Puerto Plata 57000 Dominican Republic
Puerto Plata Village Caribbean Resort & Beach Club
786 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
I work for a large hotel chain in Canada and here is an unbiased overview of our stay at PPV. Remember this is a 3.5 star hotel in a very poor country.Even though we had a few problems we had a wonderful vacation. If you go remember to keep an open mind and get off the resort to view the culture and what it has to offer.
Weather: We had only 2 days of any real accumulation of rain and the other 12 were either sunny or variable clouds. Occasional showers at night. Daytime temperatures ranged from 24 -29C. Cool in the evenings though so take a light sweater for evening dining and other activities.
Room: I strongly recommed the suite and for the little more that you pay it is well worth it for an over sized room with a fridge, verenda and chairs,little sofa with 2 easy chairs in room, and a large bathroom.Remember to get a remote for the TV from the front desk when you pay for the safe key $30.00 U.S. for 2 weeks. The TV needs to be programed to get all the stations so if you are unable to do this have the front desk staff assist you, this you may need to ask more than once). We had no bugs of any kind in our room(no bed bugs,no ants although there were lots outside the door and I saw only one mosquito in two weeks.)I saw no rats nor any other large varments although there were lots of cats roaming the area(maybe brought in to hunt).We always had hot water and our toilet was always in working condition.Air conditioning worked for the first ten days but failed after that, wasn't to bad with shaded room.
Beach: By far the largest beach area for the whole Playa Darado area belonged to PPV. Lots of chairs, good swimming and only a stones through from the shopping area(lol).We spent alot of our time walking for miles along the beach in either direction. You could see all of the resorts in the area from the beach however were not allowed to enter the others without their bracelet.You could walk to Puerto Plata via the beach however I would not advise this as after you leave the resort area the beaches are filthy and raw wastes etc. flow dirctly into the sea without any grates to filter out the garbage. What you see for garbage along the roads and in many places off the resort areas is what you will find on the beaches away from the resorts. Beaches west of the resort tended to be cleaner than those towards Puerto Plata, also there are a number of food vendors if you are adventurous for some local tastes and or inexpensive seafood.
Bars: Very good service and polite however watch what is being put in your cup as I for one do not enjoy 151 proof rum at 10 am. We took our own Thermal coffee mugs from home and this was great as we always had our own cup and what went in it always stayed cold or hot. This is strongly suggested as they run out of clean glasses and their resources for washing them are not the cleanest.
Food: Buffett was disappointing as for the 2 weeks we were there the menu did not vary, very often (different theme nights, but food always seemed to taste very similar from meal to meal). Breads and desserts were wonderful as was their selection of fresh fruits and smoothies. The vegetables left a lot to be desired as did their meal selections. Way too many starchy foods to fill you up but with no real substance. Food was over salted all of the time and Im still not sure if the meat was beef from a cow or some other animal as it was very tough and sinewy and had a strange taste. Seafood was non existant except for some small bits of fish now and again.I am not a picky eater however after eating pork and chicken done in the same way for 2 weeks it got a bit trying. For those who have high cholesterol or are diabetic this is not the place for you. Extremely high sugar content and potatos done 30 different ways,not to mention the sugary sauces and salty ham which was served as spare rib for the next 2 days. Deep freid everything from the bacon and sausages in the morning to the green pepper which I only saw deep fried never as a part of the salad offerings.If you have stomach problems at all avoid the cheeses and the potato salad as my husband had 9 hours of vomiting and diarrhea that was an obvious food poisoning because of the severity of the vomiting.
International restuarant: 1st time we went both meals were wonderful(pork with orange sauce and chicken dish) OK service we enjoyed it and left a tip.2nd time was not so good .We went later in the evening and the food(fillet mignon) and (chicken something) were terrible . Service was poor as they were understaffed and their attitude toward catering to us was as if we did not exist and they were just going through the motions.
Italian restaurant: Both time we went we enjoyed the food at this restaurant.Service is unorganized and slow as they seem to have a differentt person doing each and everything for you. They want to refill your wine every 2 seconds however are not the least bit concerned that you have been there an hour already and they still have not served your meal. The pasta dishes were very wonderful and the sauces did not bother our stomachs nor did the cheeses in this restaurant.
Mexican Restaurant: Both times we went we enjoyed our meals and found this the BEST restuarant for food quality and service of them all. Be careful with the wine though it has an awful punch and use only a small amt. of the sour cream as I do not think it is quite right the taste is off.
Pizza Joint: Very good sauce taste, toppings ok, but busy usually have to wait 5 minutes to get fresh pizzas to be cooked, hot dogs available as well.
Beach Buffett: Nothing special, hamburgers and other things that were no different than the buffett .
Housekeeping: These are the hardest working bunch on the whole resort. They are there first thing in the morning and put up with more greif over not enough towels and supplies than anyone should have to endure. The fault lies with the management as to why there are not enough towels. Supply and demand. We had fresh towels all the time and the maid had fresh flowers all over our room each and everyday we were there.The day my husband was sick she came in and cleaned the bathroom and restocked even though it was not the best of conditions for her as my husband was still very sick at this time. We did tip her but not a large amt. and it was not everyday. We also brought a few things like candies and things for children to leave for her.
Entertainment: The second hardest working bunch of talented people on the resort. They worked from morning to night keeping the youngest to oldest guests amused . From areobics ,volleyball, watersports,kids shows and lastly the nightly shows which often times included guest participation. Each and every one of the staff invovled in this needs to be commended. They worked very hard to make sure everyone was having a good time and tried to make each show different yet chose things that all ages could enjoy.
Tours and such: Book your tours with C and B tours at the plaza as they have the best prices.(Not At The Hotel) They are at least $30 cheaper at the plaza and you see the same things .
Out and About: Convert your US (and please take US not Canadian money) at a bank (Scotiabank) in Puerto Plata ,Airport, or the Plaza as they will give you the best rate 27.5 peso per 1 US dollar whereas you only get 20 pesos per 1 Canadian dollar.Use the regular bus system to get around you will have to barter the price with the driver before you get in but a very cheap way to travel. 10 peso will get you to Puerto Plata city,30 peso will get you to Sosoua, 50 peso will get you all the way to Caberette.Taxis are very expensive in comparison $50.00 US to Caberette for example.For shopping Dinorah's liquidation just up the road toward Puerto Plata city was a great place to buy T shirts ( the same that you would barter for on the beach) we paid 103 pesos per T shirt at Dinorahs just under $4 US. The supermarket Tropical in Puerto Plata city was the best place to buy junk food, coke, vanilla, coffee, and rum. Their prices were at least 1/2 of what they were charging at the resort or the Plaza in Playa Dorado.
Places not to miss: Caberette (Kite surfing-SUPERB , O'Sheas beach bar, the pasterria, Ocean Tastes restaurant-Best Lobster platter in the area.) Sosoua (On the waterfront restuarant-great seafood, raunchy night-life and beautiful scenery), venturing through Downtown Peurto Plata and the boardwalk , a guagua ride, the cable car ride up to the top of Mt. Isabela de Torres, the humpback whales out in Samana and of course long beautiful walks on the beach with your loved one.
Conclusion: Puerto Plata Village needs to improve on their Quality and Variety of Food, majority of staff attempt to make up for it in service and friendliness even though still somewhat disorganized. Olga in the reception area is the person to see if you have any problems or concerns as she is fluent in English and easy to get along with. I would only go back to PPV if I heard of improvements to the food quality and an improved management.The Resort is in need of an overhaul for as much as they try to keep it up by painting and touch ups you can see much more is required.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We arrived at The PPV on 26th June. We booked this holiday through First Choice as it says that the hotel caters for families of 5. We have three small children. We were told on at least 2 occassions that we would have interconnecting/family room. When we arrived we were given two totally separate rooms and told to have an interconnecting one we would need to pay a further £900!! We were temporarily accommodated in one room with a fifith bed brought in (some four hours after asking!!). When the rep arrived the next day, she got the extra cost down to £450 - I don't think so!! We ended up in one room for the entire fortnight (even though we had paid for 2) - no privacy and only one bathroom.
The Kids Club was a huge disappointment - if you have booked with First Choice before as we have, don't go expecting all singing all dancing clubs for different age groups. There is one club, run by one girl, for all ages. She practically has to drag the kids there as they are just not interested - so no break for the parents. If there are not many people as when we went (June 26th -10th July) the kids just get bored!!
The hotel staff were very friendly and the food was great too. The place was excessively quiet (sometimes lacking in atmosphere) and ridiculously busy at the weekend when locals arrive. Some of the locals were rude and aggressive and their idea of manners were certainly far from those expected by the majority of British people. Even the hotel staff dislike the weekends!! We were advised to book our trips on Saturdays and Sundays to avoid the hussle and bussle. This turned out to be very good advice! By Sunday afternoon/evening everything returns to normal, but the site takes a day to be cleared up from the plastic plates, cups etc, where people have thrown them.The arrival of the locals turns this place from an all-inclusive three star resort to a Butlins type resort. If you think that you would not get on with this, then you may need to consider whether this is the right hotel for you. We believe that this is the only hotel on the Playa Dorada that opens its doors to the locals for the weekend.
The 'bike hire', that we had looked forwards to consisted of a small rack of bikes, that you might find in a museum - no brakes and non suitable for younger children, just 2 sizes, big and small, with no stabilisers, child seats, trailers etc.
The rooms were clean and cleaned very well each day - beds made, fresh towels daily and the floors were always swept as well as mopped. There were people about sweeping, painting and repairing things around the site continuously. We had no problems with the standard of the room, everything worked as it should - no complaints there.
It is probably a nice place for couples to go (during the week).
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Date of stay: June 2006
Value
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Puerto Plata Village, Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata, DR, March 2011
Things were kind of confused this year, so some background is required before I get into the review. This was not the trip we had planned. If things had gone to plan, this would have been a review of Fun Royale/Tropicale. As everyone who's read my reviews knows, I've always had a fond spot in my heart for that particular resort; not for the hotel itself, but for the staff. Over the years they've become just like family or close friends. The hotel (Fun Royale/Tropicale) was a three star property at best but we've always been treated well and received five star service. Unfortunately, things didn't quite go to plan. The original booking was with Westjet Vacations for Fun Royale. Shortly after booking, Westjet dropped the property, so that meant no Westjet rep on site. No big issue there. Then the booking got changed to Fun Tropicale because the hotel block was being converted to condos. OK, so I wouldn't get "my" room. I'll call that an inconvenience. Then, a mere thirty six hours before our departure we found out that Fun Royale/Tropicale would be closing their hotel operations for renovations in the middle of our trip, so we would be moved to Puerto Plata Village for the second week. They expected the renovations to take about 6 months (Dominican time). What we didn't know was that all the staff were also being let go and would be losing their jobs. If we had, we would have cancelled the trip. The emotional issues and confusion surrounding the windup of operations made for a distinctly unpleasant week one and set the tone and our mood for the second week. This was trip 13 to the resort. I'm not superstitious but .....
Since he previous week was spent at Fun Royale/Tropicale, you might want to read that review prior to reading this one. If not, press on.
When life deals you lemons, make lemonade. I'd have to consider the move between hotels more or less a lateral one. But, in a situation like this, you can't help comparing properties. I liked some things at FR/T better and some things at PPV better. The hotels are both about the same rating, but the trip was NOT what we had originally booked or wanted. To be fair, under different circumstances we could have really enjoyed Puerto Plata Village, but not after the emotional meltdowns (both staff and guests, mostly all repeaters) of the previous week. Due to the circumstances there's no way I can write a review of Fun Royale/Tropical that will be of use to anyone. My personal feeling is that it will never reopen again, so I guess it's a mute point. Despite this, my review for Puerto Plata Village is on the positive side, despite the upsets.
On arrival, we were greeted by the hotel manager and the guest services manager (OK, I know them both). The staff at reception were friendly, efficient and got us checked in and taken to our room quickly. Speaking of the manager, he is very energetic, personable and outgoing and seems to have some good ideas. I saw him frequently around the property introducing himself and talking to guests.
ROOM
We had a superior room with a balcony/patio and amenities (read as a bar fridge). The room was basic but serviceable. Just what you would expect from a 3 star property. If you are looking for fancy, this isn't the place. But it was clean and everything pretty well worked. When we checked in, everything appeared to be OK except the toilet which was running on at a slow rate continuously. It was just a tank level problem. The level was set high and some water was trickling down the overflow tube. I corrected that issue myself; it's just not a holiday if I don't fix something. During the week one CF bulb in the bathroom went intermittent, and one of the bedside lamps stopped functioning. Since we didn't need either, I put off reporting the issues until checkout. Oh, and after four days in the room, the a/c started to drip on the floor. I assumed it was iced over so we shut it off for the day. When I returned to the room it was running again. This is the first hotel I've stayed in that turned ON the a/c when you're not there. Normally they turn it OFF. Whatever, we set the temperature setting a bit warmer and it didn't drip again.
So, no show stoppers here and we had no major complaints. None of the issues were reported until checkout. Oh, and we got wash cloths. I don't know if this is normal or was special for us, but some of the other rooms we looked into didn't seem to have them. Follow the standard DR procedure and take some inexpensive ones with you. Then you have that situation taken care of. If you don't need them and have them it's not an issue but if you don't have them and need them .....
GROUNDS
The grounds were clean and well maintained. There's a fair bit of greenery and trees, all carefully groomed. There are a few areas that appeared to remnants of what used to be pools/fountains but no longer used as such and they were empty.
The colour combos on some of the buildings were 'colourful' and in some cases maybe a bit too 'colourful'. One particular shade of green was especially bright.
It's an easy resort to find your way around. All the main common facilities (pool, entertainment area, buffet restaurants, specialty restaurants) are concentrated in the central area near the lobby. The disco is set aside away from most of the rooms.
The pool is nice and appeared very clean and well maintained. It has a very nice swim-up bar. With the exception of a few loose tiles on the pool deck I didn't have any issues.
The only comment here is that some rooms are near this area and may be noisy at night if you wanted to retire early. I'm kind of surprised that the late night entertainment wasn't moved to the disco to resolve that noise issue.
FOOD, RESTAURANTS and BARS
There is one main buffet restaurant and three specialty ones (Italian, Mexican and Dominican). We ate at all three and found them pretty good. I didn't care much for the Dominican one, but that might have been because we were late and the best offerings had been picked over.
Hotel occupancy was down, so some nights they funnelled everyone through one of the specialty restaurants. Other nights both the buffet and one specialty restaurant were open. We found the food to be quite acceptable. There were lots of choices and it was easy to find something that suited. It seemed to me that the chef had one spice combination that he liked and that mix was used a lot. It would have been nice to vary it a mite. That said, no one in our party nor anyone that we associated with got ill.
The tables were well bused and it was a rare event to sit down at a table that didn't have the proper utensils and cloth serviettes (napkins to you guys south of the border) already on the table. The top table cloths were replaced frequently.
The service was quite good. After the first day at breakfast the gals knew we wanted our coffee first thing. We'd no sooner sit down and the coffee was right there. Nice. The only thing was when they replaced your coffee with the second cup they took the stir spoon with it. This 'might' explain the odd missing spoon from an adjacent table. Don't blame the guy busing the table; blame a guest ....
There is a snack bar (burgers, hot dogs and pizza) near the pool and another snack bar at the beach club that served lunch from about noon until 2 PM. There was no rotisserie chicken alas, but most days there was baked chicken. Pretty well all the salads and chicken was catered from the main hotel kitchen. Burgers, hot dogs and fries were prepared at the beach club and the chicken was put on the grill to brown it up a bit. There was also rice, pasta, veggies, fruit and desserts. Quite a complete selection for a small area. I don't recall seeing fries at any of the other restaurants and it might well be that this is the only area where they are served on the resort.
There are bars located in the lobby, near the pool, the swim-up bar and one at the beach club. I believe there's a fifth bar in the disco. Drinks were also available in the restaurants at meal time. Of note, Presidente beer was served and most days Brugal was available. It wasn't the Anejo, but the Carta Dorada which is much better than Normandy or Classico. Pretty well all the other offerings were local.
After all that drinking it's nice to know that there are abundant washroom facilities and they are all pretty conveniently located. They seemed to be clean and well maintained.
BEACH
Overall the beach was pretty nice and one of the better sections of Playa Dorada. I can remember this area from years past and it has been considerably improved when the beach was built-up a few years back. There is a fair bit of shade for those that want it and there was no shortage of beach loungers. They also had about 5 or 6 of the beach beds.
The beach club is about a five minute walk from the hotel. There is also a shuttle that runs frequently if you don't feel like walking.
COMMENTS
Here are my comments about the hotel (in no particular order):
1) For those that care, the ketchup and mustard were Heinz (in the individual packets) and the mayonnaise was a brand called MacDom.
2) The beer served was Presidente on tap. Brugal rum was available but you usually had to ask for it. All the other liquors were local (read Normandy or Classico).
3) All the mix was bottled, not fountain. And yes, they had Diet Coke (called Coke Light there).
4) Bacon was a rare occurrence at breakfast. I only saw it once and that was our last day.
5) The beach club is a good place to have lunch due to the location. The food selection in the buffet was also good at lunch time. We ate most lunches at the beach club, but had several lunches at the buffet as well.
6) The beach party was very enjoyable. They served dinner at the beach club, had a show, put on some music, danced, had a bonfire and played a few beach games (like limbo). It's the kind of beach party I've been trying to talk the 'other place' into having for years now.
7) The pizza bar is quite good. It's different than at home, and the crust is pretty thick, but good. They pretty well cooked up small portions (6 slices or so) to order and you got to select what was on it.
8) There seems to be a lot of useable covered areas to use in the event of rain.
9) There were a lot of locals on the weekend. There were no issues. They behaved the same as the other guests.
10) There were two bottles of water in the room at check-in. When they were empty you could get them refilled at any bar. There were also dispensers conveniently located throughout the resort.
SUMMARY
As I stated, this was not the holiday we originally wanted or booked, but when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. So we made do. Even though we were in an emotional turmoil from week one, we had a pretty good time. We tried unsuccessfully to forget that first week.
The accommodation was acceptable, the food was fine, the place was clean and the service was good. There seems to be a great staff. All in all a pretty good combination. We had no major complaints.
Would we return? Likely yes. There doesn't appear to be any vacation packages departing from Toronto (or Ottawa), but there are from Montreal. I'm not fussy about traveling all the way there to pick up a trip. Hopefully one of the tour operators will pick up the hotel with a Toronto departure. Alternately, If I wanted to arrange hotel, flights and transfers separately, that would be a good option too.
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Date of stay: March 2011
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Rooms away from pool/theater area are quieter
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our advice to anyone thinking about booking at Puerto Plata Village is to think again! From start to finish we had nothing but trouble ranging from people attempting to break into our room and lack of respect from the management. On the third night, we were woken by someone attempting to break the door open to our apartment. We switched on the light to the room and the burglar ran off. When we complained to management about this and requested a move to a more secure room we were refused told that we were making the whole thing up!
This complex is unsafe and we spend the remainder of the holiday worrying about being burgled by some unsavoury characters. The complex has some security issues that need to be promptly addressed!
The food is average, however, during weekends there is next to nothing available due to the locals queue jumping and piling as much food as they can on to their plates. They are disrespectful and leave little or no food for the other holiday makers. The place looked as though a hurricane had passed through it by the time Sunday evening arrived and the local people left. Plastic cups were strewn all around the pool area and rubbish was lying where it was dropped.
We also had some trouble with touts who were based within the complex. You will get no peace from them; I was woken up by one of them pulling at my toe whilst sunbathing in order to wring some cash from me. They tirelessly persist at cornering you at every possible opportunity to either go into Playa Dorada with them or to go on one of the many excursions. Stupidly, we did take one of them up on their offer to find ourselves being dragged around the town from gift shop to gift shop which sells nothing but tacky and overpriced souvenirs. We were then taken to Fort St Philippe and charged 10 pounds each to get in. On returning to the complex we discovered that we had been overcharged for the pleasure by 4 times the usual price. The taxi ride cost approximately 40 US dollars for a short 20 minute drive. Extortion!
Be aware of unscrupulous touts and various others if you do decide to book here. We wish we had paid heed to the many negative reviews about PPV and should have requested that we change hotels. This has been the worst holiday we have ever had the misfortune of experiencing. Please take our advice and go elsewhere, no one should have to go through such misery as we did at PPV.
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Date of stay: June 2006
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Check-in / front desk
Service
Business service (e.g., internet access)
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What has happened to this place? See my previous review from our trip in June 2005 (Cheap and Cheerful, 5/5). We booked Puerto Plata Village after having a marvelous time last year. One of the motivators was also the promise of a free upgrade to a suite for repeat guests. One of the biggest mistakes of my life.
On arrival (a Monday) everything seemed to be as it was last year. The grounds were nice and tidy. The pool area was quiet - and we were greeted on arrival with a fruit punch. It went downhill from there. During check-in we mentioned that we were repeat guests, and we'd like to take up the offer of an upgrade to a suite. The receptionist looked briefly confused and then asked to see our travel documents from last year. When we reached into our luggage and pulled them out - they looked shocked! Almost as if they expected us not to have bothered.
After some time looking over our documents, we were told we would need to come back in half an hour, which we did. On our return, we were told we couldn’t have a suite but a 'superior' room. At first we were annoyed, but didn’t seem to be getting anywhere with them - so we accepted based on our stay in a superior room last year - it wasn’t so bad. Somewhat disappointed we went off to unpack and get some food....
The room we were put into had numerous problems. The front door was insecure, the roof was sagging inward, the water supply was unreliable to say the least and the shower head fell off injuring my friend. We did intend complaining, but after the nonsense at reception before and not wanting to cause a fuss - we decided to put up with it.
Over the next few days, things went from bad to worse. Our plans for a peaceful break were shattered by certain members of the on-site 'Animation' team and countless touts who are actually allowed inside the grounds. You couldn’t sit by the pool for more than five minutes without being harassed into taking trips into the mountains on an emaciated horse, go-karting or taking part in some tacky poolside games. We thought pretending to be asleep would solve the problem but it didn’t! If they spoke to you and you didn’t respond, they'd give you a good shake! The touts will make it seem like they are your best friend, whilst trying to get as much money as possible out of you - when was the last time you were asked to pay nearly $100 for a chain made of broken shells ? If you really must buy something from them, if even to get some peace - DO YOUR SUMS!! During our stay, the exchange rate was roughly 500 Dominican Peso = £10.00
We did get to know a couple of the Animation team, who on the face of it seemed quite decent. We even loaned out our iPods to a couple of them whilst they were taking breaks....again, a mistake. One of them had talked us in to going along to one of the frequent Pool Side shows. Wouldn’t take no for an answer and we finally agreed to pop along - it was terrible and we tried to leave early. When we tried to do this, we were told by him "you cannot leave now! Where are you going?”... When we told him we were going back to our room, he panicked and talked us in to going to the bar for a few bed time tipples - little did we know, he was acting as a decoy trying to keep us from going back. We only discovered why when we ran out of cigarettes and went back to get some more. Obviously quite unexpected.
When we got back to the room, someone was in the middle of attempting a break in - obviously aware we had some expensive gadgets in there. When we queried this, we were told he was there to clean our room for us - at 00:30 in the morning?? We thought not so took him up to reception for an explanation. They told us he was cleaning the room, and then changed the story to say he was looking for a room for the night. We let it go... Only afterwards did we find out that there had been a large number of break-ins during the preceding weeks. So next day, we decided to be asked to move to a more secure room closer to reception.
When we did this, the general manager appeared and called us blatant liars! he said we were making the whole thing up, and that he only ever has trouble with 'The English' - Given we aren’t from England at all, this confused us - we put it down to racism on his part.
We got the First Choice rep involved, who was lovely and exceedingly helpful I might add. She spoke to the General Manager about the situation and he totally blew up at her - shouting at the top of his voice and waving his fists in a threatening manor. At this point, we dragged her off as the situation was obviously becoming quite tense and possibly dangerous.
The Manager then chased us out of reception in to the small car park and started shouting at us too - we told him we didn’t want to speak to such a rude man and promptly ignored him. Feeling very unsafe within the resort, we decided to pack up and go home after just 4 days there. But, our holiday was to be saved by the First Choice rep who suggested we move hotels to somewhere else with Playa Dorada.
She walked us to the hotel and arranged for us to have a look around - We were stunned. The difference between the two resorts was phenomenal, like comparing Butlins to the Hilton or such like. So we quickly gathered our belongings and checked out from PPV - never have I packed my bags in such a rush before..
The new hotel knew about the situation and made us feel very welcome indeed - I suggest you go stay at the Victoria Beach/Golf resort instead of PPV.
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Date of stay: June 2006
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Check-in / front desk
Service
Business service (e.g., internet access)
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We visited this hotel from the 11th June to 25th June and apart from the bad flight experience we arrived at the hotel. From the first appearance everything seemed nice and we was greeted with a fruit punch drink and immiediately told our rooms were upgraded. Sounds good so far until we got to our room. The doors had massive gaps leading out to the balcony where a regular infestation of mosquitos would fly in and make a meal of you in your sleep and yes we had every mosquito device in there possible. The beds were hard and too small for a couple to have a comfortable nights sleep. And the pillows were lumpy and hard. The television had the worst reception. Channel 5 when it first started was better. Enter the bathroom and you have a jungle safari with the toilet being covered in small ant like creatures and a rather evil looking spider. To get the lights working we had to give them a tap to get them working and the wiring is sub standard. We had a football field 25mtrs away which during our stay decided to have a helicopter landing on it. Thought there may have been an emergency as it was not a designated helipad, but it stayed there overnight and in the early hours of the morning it decided to shake our room and wake us up by starting up the rotors for a good 30 minutes. I promptly told the pilot to lift off or shut down as he had woken us all up. Complained to reception and unless you are dominican you are not treated as priority. They even go off and talk to some one else whilst dealing with you. The helicopter and pilot was actually the owner of the hotel complex who should know better. For one day we had no water at all in the bathroom and for a further two days no hot water. After enough complaining we were given a set of keys to go and shower on the other side of the complex. A fifteen minute walk to have a shower. The food was inadequate and very similar every day, and pineapple looks so nice with ants all over it and the bread looks really good with birds flying in and sitting on top of it. We had paid to go to a quieter hotel instead of the fun tropicale and at the weekend we had over 250 locals enter the grounds and stay there. Staff are helpful but locals are the opposite, rude arrogant, and go for food like vultures. One dominican actually grabbed food from the tongs i was using. You could not get to the bar and there was drunk and disorderly people all over the site which was really impressive for my child. The Entertainment was dire and if you ever hear the "Chocolate" song again you will scream. They couldn't dance, mime or sing, or even speak clear english. The ones that could speak clear english did not even use the mic. As for the first weekend being overcrowded with locals it didn't get any better the second weekend with over a 1000 locals arriving in a hotel that has 386 rooms. Cram them in. Trouble was brewing at the site and the First Choice holidaymakers were getting to the point of exploding and our rep was pulling her hair out. The hotel could not cope. The food was raw in the middle and the drinks were awful. Everything it seems has to have coconut in it. Even the mash potatoes in the ala carte restuarant. The animotion team decide to ask ladies to shake their boobies and other sexual gestures and the only price was brugal rum, which was referred to as dominican viagra. Not good in front of a nine year old. When you go on trips all the tour guides seem to mention is the "Carwash" which is their reference to a brothel. All the shops have signs saying we sell Viagra, even can be drunk by women. Be warned if you feel ill as the medical centre stings you for every penny they can muster out of you even if you have got travel insurance. The market stalls inside your complex try to rip you off, they wanted to charge 5,000 pesos for a photo album which works out approximately £85.00 and they tried to charge another couple 27dollars for a small doll. Bartering is ridiculous and you have to be on your guard, and you get hassled left right and centre. Avoid at all costs and I am sure Basil Fawlty must have bought a timeshare here.
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Date of stay: June 2006
Value
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We arrived at Puerto Plata Village towards the end of May 2006, having had a fabulous time there a couple of years ago. We thought it would be fairly safe to return somewhere we enjoyed - how wrong we were.
There is one main reason for this - "Under New Management"...
We spoke to many people during our stay who like us returned after previously having a great time - they all said the same thing. This hotel has gone down the pan with no chance of reprieve.
Firstly, and most importantly the hotel provides no safety for its guests. Locals are allowed to come and go as they please, sometimes at weekends there can be 200 locals for each tourist - yes, it really is that bad. When the locals are in, you have no chance at all of getting any decent food from the buffet - they all queue up at opening times just waiting to get in. They push you out of the way and grab as much food as they can.
The hotel also allow Touts on the grounds, who will frequently try to sell you some tat at vastly imflated prices. Do your sums before buying anything !
During our 1 week there (we originally booked 2 weeks) there were a total of 6 break-ins - not all of which were carried out when people were out. They actually attempted to break into a number of rooms whilst there were people in them. We caught one red handed trying to get into ours.
And the worst of it?
It was the staff doing the break-ins !! Obviously paid peanuts by the management and think they can line their pockets with 'expensive' tourist gadgets and gifts.
When this was reported to the manager (both night and general managers) we were accused of being out and out liars. Even though we caught them in the act. The general 'day' manager was racist beyond belief, saying that he only ever has trouble with "The English" - now, I was a little confused by this - although we speak English we don't actually come from there. The night manager was just as bad - you won't get any help there.
We did ask if we could move rooms, but this was refused on the basis we were lying about the staff.
Our First Choice rep told us that over the last year the hotel had gone right down hill - as such, First Choice group will now not be offering holidays to this resort next year.
It's such a shame, we really had a great time last year - there are some nice decent friendly staff who make you feel welcome. But even at that, we only ever met 2 like that.
The entertainment is a complete joke - think Butlins/Pontins and you aren’t even close, it's worse than that.
The food was average at best; Fruits were dried up - fleas on the buffet etc. Free pizza was half decent but you can't live on them alone.
I would never tell anyone to visit this place, not even my worst enemy.
We moved to another hotel on the Playa Dorada complex, Victoria Golf and Beach resort. The difference was night and day, like moving from a Tent into the Hilton or such like. And the cost difference isn’t even that much.
Visit at your peril. If you’re booked to go here - I suggest contacting your agent and changing hotels quick smart.
Oh and remember - No Firearms in the onsite disco.
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Date of stay: May 2006
Value
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed at this hotel, for my first time in the Dominican, in approximately 1998...At the time it was lovely, wonderful service and fantastic food.
Unfortunately as I heard the words many times while I was there in November...it is Under New Management. Read under local control.
What does this mean? Majority of staff don't speak or want to speak any English.
Reception: I arrived early in the morning as my flight got me in for approximately 11 am to the hotel...check in isn't until 2 according to the Hotel. Despite there only being approximately 20 rooms full when I arrived they still had me wait almost 2 hours in the lobby for my room. The staff at reception were at best uncooperative and dismissive of any concerns. At other times they were just plain rude.
Room: TV didn't work, room was very musty, dirty, no room fridge, window broken, toilet running on and it was on the ground floor. Given I was there as a single female at the time I didn't think that was a great idea. Took my tour rep to get me moved....
The second room was cleaner, still smelled but at least everything worked.
The rooms are very dated, no decorating done here in a long time...the furniture looks like it is out of the 70's.
Pool: Always kept clean, pool bar staff usually friendly. However the quality of drinks has gone from making fresh fruit drinks to premixed, sweetened crap. The drink I was most looking forward to was a Bannana Mama...a favorite from my previous trip...I was so disappointed.
Bars: For the most part once you chatted with the bartenders they served you pretty quickly. Actually quite a few were trying to pick me up...sorry fellas it was flattering but no thanks.
Buffet: Adequate but repetitive food. There was a lot less than when I was there before. Gone is the soft ice cream and theme nights.
Ala Cartes: The Italian was shut down while I was there, I had such good memories of that place. The American was adeqate and the mexican was horrible...where do they get their information about what consititutes Mexican food.
Beach: Still nice, still have to get a ride there but they came often. The food on the beach is still good. Less people trying to sell you things on the beach was also nice. You can walk along past all the hotels on the beach.
Weekends: Locals invade and the place becomes a zoo....Beware
The resort is in a complex of many hotels so you can walk around them all, good idea to check out for your next trip. There is also a shopping plaza in the complex with decent prices but just watch the exchange rate and bargain even in those stores.
Trips: This time I only went on the Ocean World one. It was well worth the money, I swam with the dolphins and it was such a wonderful experience...it made the whole trip worthwhile.
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Date of stay: November 2005
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Check-in / front desk
Service
Business service (e.g., internet access)
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We booked for PPV beginning 2005 and decided to get married over there. As soon as it was booked we started to receive letters from the travel agent advising of changes ie hotel status had been downgraded, it was no longer 24 hr all inclusive etc Immediatley I started to panic this was meant to be our dream wedding, I rang the travel agent who advised not to worry. If you are considering getting married over in the Dominican be sure to ask how you can carry your dress. Eventually I was allowed an extra 10 kilos however the dress still had to go in the hold. However no problems there it arrived safely. We arrived at PPV 19 June 2006 at first glance I thought nice. Checking into the rooms was a bit of a nightmare took 30 mins or so. You can pay for a safety deposit box for $30 but be warned you dont get this back on departure!! We were in what is classed as superior room. It was a big block of apartments, in the fridge was one very small bottle of water between two it isn't much when you've been travelling over 9 hours. The rooms ARE basic. We had no wardrobe but a pole running along the top and just a couple of old chest of drawers that have seen better days so we basically lived out of our suite cases. Again I wasnt particually bothered about the room as we are never in them or so I thought. We decided to get changed and go and have a look around. We heard that on a FRI-SUN the local Dominicans are allowed to stay on site all inclusive for only a few dollars. When friday came I was shocked they were being dropped off in bus loads. Now I'm not racist in the slightest but my patience was tried big style. For food you were pushed away, plates pinched off you my partner ordered drinks to have them lifted away. His mam and dad counted at least ten locals in the room next door and the best rooms are kept for them. On the evening the entertainment was aimed for the locals. You had to make sure you had a firm hold of your chair otherwise it was gone in a flash!!! If after reading the reviews on here and still go to PPV make sure you take a boat load of repellent with you. In the first two days I had 50 bits on just my lower legs. They were so bad Louise our Rep insisted to staff my room be fumigated, this was done twice. I had every product available and still got chomped. Not a pretty sight for a girl who was due to get married. Watch out for what they call the "Puerto Plata Splatter" not a particually nice phrase we can all expect a dodgy gut when we are abroad but I thought my lad was dying at one point he was rolling around with chronic cramps and the sickness itself lasts 48 hrs then it was my turn. Omg!! I was ill. For days we were confined to our rooms didnt dare go out and nearly all the holiday makers said the same. A couple next day to us left this hotel and stayed elsewhere!!!
We were married on 28 June 06. The girls who plan it tried their best but speak little english and are hard to understand so it was frustrating. The carraige came to pick us up, it hadnt been cleaned just a white sheet placed on the seats. When I got out of it I had a big oil stain on the back of the train I was devastated. The service it self lasted minutes. Once photos were over we headed back to the hotel, the carriage was so untrustworthly my train got caught in the wheel as we were moving the driver jumped out and was shaking his head, it made an awful ripping noise and I was completely stuck. Luckily there wasnt two much damaged.. Two days before our wedding a couple got married and received their certificate in a day or two. I was told that my certificate was ready and would be at the hotel on the day of my departure. Three times I was told to come back in an hour. There registrar couldn't make it in time so it would be posted to me which the hotel reception said would be a matter of days. I am still waiting god knows if im a legally married or not. I am unable to change any official documents etc as I need the certificate. So in a nut shell if you are planning a holiday to the Domincan dont use this hotel, I read all these reveiws and went with an open mind. BIG MISTAKE. If anyone stayed the same time as me and wants to get in touch its littlemisstipsey@hotmail.com.
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Date of stay: June 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My friend and I stayed at PPV from 8th - 23rd april. It was an amazing trip all round. Would I go back? Yes.
I'll start with the bad (as you do): The beach staff, well, the watersports people are unfriendly, unhelpful and try to con you out of money. They don't actually seem to be part of PPV so don't go here expecting a watersports holiday because thats not what you'll get.
The WEATHER:
8/14 overcast with about 5 days constant rain. Don't forget it is a tropical climate, expect the rain. It was still hot tho apart from one of the days of rain.
If it was overcast it was hot, a great relief from the scourching sun. If it was sunny it was very hot (but nice), with a very powerful burning effect.
The FOOD:
Just incredible! No one can say there was anything wrong or there wasn't enough choice or variation. It's not true. In fact the problem was, I made myself sick every night because I kept eatting so much. I tried to try every dessert but could never manage it.
POOL:
Big, great pool bar, a little bit dirty but it is an outdoor pool, generally nice.
BEACH:
Beyond good, great bar there, loads of volleyball, very nice as well, clean and the beach sellers do not hassle you. They only come over if you seem interested, you can have some fun with them, they start at a really really high price, I mean you look at them like, AS IF! and laugh, but I got a good price for a t-shirt and bought from them. Also bought an excursion on the beach, which was by a very long way the highlight of the whole holiday. Go to the waterfalls!
The SEA:
Just just just amazing, clear, very warm, no sign of life at all. no sea weed until the rough weather ripped it off the coral. During the bad weather, the sea became rough and was brilliant, the waves wern't as big as I would have liked but it was still great fun for everyone.
NOTE: The shuttle to the beach is easy, quick and best of all very enjoyable.
AROUND THE HOTEL:
Fantastic, can't ask for more.
The ROOM:
I wouldn't say basic, more old. No problems with it, great AC, facilities, TV and the beds were really nice. Always cleaned well.
Activities:
Good, helped by the friendly staff.
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I recommend!
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Date of stay: April 2005
Value
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jersey City, New Jersey24 contributions11 helpful votes
Sorry there is no snorkeling on that beach. However you can do the Catamaran BBQ boat ride and snorkel or scuba dive. You can purchase the tickets on the beach by the VIP sun club area. Look for Francisco, hes the MAN!!
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Are there any historical sites close to Puerto Plata Village Caribbean Resort & Beach Club?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Fortaleza San Felipe (6.7 km), Casa Museo General Gregorio Luperón (5.8 km), and Logia Masónica Restauracion No. 11 (5.8 km).
